Redemption: Trio
by Leon Stryfe
Summary: In lieu of the Slayer, Spike sets himself up as the protector of Sunnydale.  However, some familiar faces reappear for their own bid to control the Hellmouth.
1. Trio: Teaser

**AN** - _A thousand thanks to my beta, Orin Forever Crimson! To any new readers, this is the third story in an ongoing series. The other two stories were previously in the mature section, but lacking anything meriting an actual mature rating, I've decided to bring it over to the teen section. You won't be entirely lost if you don't read the first two, but I recommend reading them anyway. That, and I'm just self serving! Please, R&R, but most importantly, enjoy!_

* * *

It was a cold day for Sunnydale in late August, meaning it was about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Xander struggled to get the pilot lit in the Summers home, trying his best to ignore the women in the living room complaining about the temperature. He, like the other men in the house, weren't nearly as cold. Then again, as Dawn had pointed out, "Spike is dead and doesn't feel temperature the same way we do, and Giles is British, so same thing."

Giles had agreed, after Dawn had pointed out that she meant he didn't feel temperature the same, not that the British were dead, saying that the weather would've been seen as normal in London. So, here he was, trying to light the furnace before winter even began. Never mind the fact that he'd be turning it off by week's end and then turning it back on in a month or two. Xander grumbled to himself as he worked.

"What was that, sweetie?" Anya's voice cut through Xander's grumbling, making him want to grumble more, but if there was anything Xander knew, it was when to keep his mouth shut. _Or, at least, to know when to keep my mouth shut with Anya_, Xander corrected himself.

"Nothing, Ahn." Then, in a stroke of luck, the pilot was lit. "Just finishing up. And… wa-la! Behold the wonders of central heating!" Xander's words were music to the women's ears as a collective sigh of relief went up as soon as the heat hit them. Giles walked in from the kitchen, several glasses of hot chocolate on a tray. When Dawn saw that there were large marshmallows on the tray instead of the mini ones, she was suddenly reminded just how much she missed her mother. Still, she knew that Giles was trying his best.

The day before, Giles had taken her straight from school down to the Sunnydale Civil Services building to complete the transfer of guardianship. Giles had been forced to lie about the date of Buffy's death, and Ms. Cartwright, the agent who had been assigned to Dawn's case, had been surprisingly gloomy when given the news. Apparently, she had been quite impressed with Buffy after their meeting two weeks ago. She had inquired about the funeral, apparently hoping to pay her respects. Giles had told her that they had already buried Buffy, which was one of the few truthful things he had told the woman regarding Buffy. Dawn knew that it was necessary, but she had also come to like Ms. Cartwright. Lying to her made Dawn feel uneasy.

Thankfully, Giles had all the paperwork in order and everything went smoothly. She had expected to walk out of the building as Dawn Giles, but Giles had been adamant about her keeping her last name.

"You were born with that name," he had explained, "and I'll be damned if I let misfortune take that away from you. It was a proud name, held by wonderful women. And it still is," he had said pointedly, making sure Dawn understood his meaning. She had nodded, trying to blink back her tears of gratitude. She understood that not many men would step in and raise someone else's child, but she knew that he had already done so once, with Buffy. She was grateful that he had been kind enough to step up again. It made her sorry that she had included him in the list of people who had left her, all those weeks ago when she'd stood atop the Tower. Giles was a good man, and she was happy to have him back. Apparently, she wasn't the only one.

"Thanks, Giles. You're the best," a grateful Willow's had drawn Dawn's attention back to the present. Willow had commented after taking a sip of the drinks Giles had provided. When everyone else had said the same, Giles took off his glasses and began to clean them, shyly muttering "yes, well…" before walking off and finding Xander.

"There's something I need to speak with you about, Xander."

"What'cha need, G-man?"

"I need your expertise as a carpenter and as a construction worker." Giles' words appeared to surprise Xander because he just stared at him for a minute.

"Why?," Xander had responded, before lightly shaking his head. "I mean, not that I'm not grateful that you came to me, but what do you need?"

"I was thinking of expanding upon this house," Giles indicated the Summers home by sweeping his hand around in an arc. "As you've spent a great deal of time here, you are the ideal individual to make expansions look and, more importantly, feel natural."

"How are you looking to expand; up or out?" Xander was in business mode now, making Giles smile with pride. He could recall a time when Xander Harris didn't understand the meaning of serious, and now here he was. He had changed a great deal in five plus years; they all had. Giles could only hope that he had been somewhat influential in that process.

"A little of both, actually. "

"Geeze, Giles, are you bringing an army with you from London?"

"No, of course not," Giles said with a smile in his voice. "I was thinking of adding another master bedroom to the first floor, for myself of course, two more bedrooms to the second, and adding a third floor. The new floor would consist of two more bedrooms and a third bathroom for the house." Xander paused for a moment to visualize the additions Giles wanted.

"Okay, the master bedroom makes sense, ditto to the extra bathroom for the women. You have no idea how catty they can be in the morning!" Giles nodded his head in understanding. "But I can't see why we need the third floor. I mean, another bedroom and bathroom on the second floor would make sense, but why an extra two rooms for a third floor?" Giles thought about reminding him that the bathroom was to go on the third floor, but saw the man's logic in placing it on the second floor. After all, Xander was arguing _against_ a third floor.

"Because we never know when we'll need the space, Xander. If, God forbid, we end up in a situation like last year and we all need to be concentrated into a single home, why not be as comfortable as possible?" _Because it's extra work_, Xander had wanted to say, but held his tongue. Giles had a point.

"How soon do want to start this?"

"Honestly? As soon as you can. Buy whatever you need to get the job done right. Also, get with Willow and Tara. I've been doing some research and found that the ancient Teutons would build runes into the very framework of their homes for protection and what-not. I believe that, if this is to become our home base, we could use all the protection we can get."

"Sure thing. I'll get some paper and work up some blueprints, see what works best, get some prices, whatever I need." Xander turned away as if to get started immediately but found himself turning around for the most important detail. "How much money do we have?"

"As much as we need, Xander. As much as we need." Xander's face lit up at the prospect of working for a client who actually wanted the job done right without haggling about the price. He grabbed his keys and said his goodbyes to the women of the house, saying he had important work to do before rushing out the door.

"What's got him movin' in such a rush," Spike called out as he came into the living room by way of the basement stairwell.

"Spike, may I speak with you for a moment. In private," Giles had added as he walked towards the vampire. He didn't look angry and the Scoobies looked content chatting away in the living room, so Spike had nodded his acquiescence. "Thank you." Spike led him into the kitchen before sitting down. "Spike, we need to talk about your drinking of the blood of a God. As far as I know, it is an unprecedented event. I'm worried about the aftereffects." Something about the way he said it made Spike believe that he was sincere.

"I don't know what to tell you, Rupert. I feel stronger than evah, my reflexes are amped up, and I could track someone by scent for hundreds o' miles now. Oh, and I pounded my way into a house. Uninvited." Giles was taking all the information casually until Spike's last sentence.

"You… punched your way into an occupied home," Giles asked incredulously.

"That's what I said, idn' it?" Giles stared openmouthed in disbelief before continuing.

"I must say, you being stronger can only be counted as a good thing." Giles paused long enough to consider his words. Spike being stronger a good thing? Several months ago, he would have laughed out loud at the statement. But that was before he had proven himself time and again. While Giles would most likely never enjoy the man's presence, he did surprise himself by believing he could trust Spike. After all, Spike had stayed and looked after Dawn and the others while he himself had fled back to England. Giles refused to let his thoughts drift to that are, and instead continued speaking with Spike. "That said, we have no idea how long the effects will last and if there are any unwanted side effects."

"Like what," a suddenly concerned Spike asked.

"I don't know. As I said, this is unprecedented to my knowledge. I'll see what I can find, try to discover if any other vampire has ever drank from a god. Until then, I want you patrolling every night."

"Oi! You're her caretaker, not mine," Spike said as he pointed back towards Dawn in the living room. "You don't get to boss me around."

"Fine, Spike, consider it a suggestion," Giles managed through grated teeth. "While you are far stronger, according to your testimony, I _suggest_ you take advantage of it. Try to kill off as many demons and vampires as you can, re-establish a name for yourself in the demon community. Hopefully, we'll encounter less of the rabble if they fear you like they feared the Slayer."

"Not a bad idea, mate. I'll put the fear o' Spike back into Sunnydale. Er, the demon-side o' Sunnydale, that is," Spike added when he saw the look on Giles' face. Spike threw on his duster and headed to the door before stopping in his tracks as Dawn called out his name.

"Spike, where are you going? It's broad daylight!" He turned back towards Dawn, momentarily abashed but refusing to let it show. Instead, he put a smile on and headed towards the group.

"Right you are, luv. I was gettin' ahead o' myself, ready to drive the seedier element back into their holes. Can't do that if I'm the crispy fried version o' Spike, now can I?" Dawn smiled as Spike plopped down next to her on the couch, forcing Anya to scoot aside.

"Hey, I was sitting there, you jerk!"

"Was being the operative," a bemused Spike responded. Anya huffed a bit but settled down without much extra fuss. Dawn was happy that Spike had chosen to sit next to her.

Dawn had found herself thinking about Spike a lot lately. She had always had a small crush on him, if she was being honest with herself, and it had started to become less and less small the more time they spent together. She knew logically that it could never work, that she was waaaayyyyy younger than he was. Then again, Buffy had been about her age when she had started dating Angel, and he was even older than Spike! On the other hand, Angel had been in possession of his soul, a distinct point for his side. No matter how good he was, it was because of the chip. Or was it? Dawn lost herself in internal philosophical debates about a future with Spike, all the while oblivious to conversations springing up around her.

* * *

If it was cold in the Summers home, it was definitely cold in a typical Sunnydale basement. However, the temperature was the only thing typical about this basement. Electronics and hardware littered the room, as did games and action figures. Books on a variety of subjects were also in abundance, some lying open to their last viewed page. To top it off, several whiteboards were present, covered in writings and symbols in a plethora of colours. In what could be considered the middle of the room there sat a table, covered in books, leafs of paper, and dice of various designs. At the table sat three chairs, two of which were occupied.

"I open the door cautiously, ready to spring back at any sign of danger," a high-pitched voice called out as it descended the stairs. He had blonde hair and was carrying an armload of assorted chips and a case Mountain Dew.

"Sweet, grub time!" Both seated men shouted in unison. Both had brown hair and thin frames, but that was where the physical similarities ended. One was much shorter than the other, sporting a round chin and hair that fell flat on his head. The other was tall, about six feet, with a cleft chin and hair brought to spiked tips.

"It came to $7.49, so you owe me $2.50 each," the blond said to the other two as he set the sacks on the table, careful not to knock over any of the figurines set up on the grid sitting in the middle of the table. As the shorter man reached for his wallet and paid, the other spoke up.

"I'll have to catch you later on that Andrew."

"Warren," the man began in his high pitched tone, "you've said that the last three times!"

"Yeah, and I mean it. Really, though, we're in _my_ basement, like _always_. That's gotta count for something." Andrew pouted a bit but stayed silent. Jonathan muttered under his breath but not loud enough for Warren to hear him. They ate in silence for awhile before Warrens spoke up again. "So, you guys wanna take over Sunnydale?" Silence reigned for a moment before both of the other men responded simultaneously.

"Sure," said Jonathan.

"Yeah," said Andrew.

"Alright. Let's get to work." His enthusiasm was met with stares until he hastily amended his statement. "After we finish eating, of course." Both other men smiled and nodded before all three enthusiastically finished off their 'meals'. Some things just had to be prioritized!


	2. Trio: Act I

**A/N:**_ As always, a thousand thanks to my beta, Orin Forever Crimson. This chapter would have been even later had she not returned it to me in blinding speed! So, I apologise for taking longer than promised, but thankfully I'm only a few days late. Please R&R but most importantly, enjoy!_

* * *

_**"Redemption"**_

**Episode 3**

**"Trio"**

_by Leon Stryfe_

** Starring:**

James Marsters as "Spike"

Michelle Trachtenberg as "Dawn Summers"

Nicholas Brendan as "Alexander 'Xander' Harris"

Alyson Hannigan as "Willow Rosenberg"

Amber Benson as "Tara Maclay"

Emma Caulfield as "Anya Jenkins"

and

Anthony Stewart Head as "Rupert Giles"

**Guest Starring:**

Emily Blunt as "Katrina Letchford"**  
**

Tom Lenk as "Andrew Wells"

with Danny Strong as "Jonathan Levinson"

and Adam Busch as "Warren Mears"

* * *

As soon as night fell, Spike was out prowling the streets and cemeteries of Sunnydale. He felt powerful, truly so, for the first time in a long time. He hadn't felt like this since, well, since he killed Nikki Woods decades ago. Thinking about that fight brought a smile to his face. He had loved the feel of the Slayer's head in his hands, the sound of her neck when it snapped.

'_Those were the days'_, Spike thought as he easily sidestepped an oncoming blow from a freshly risen vampire. Spike grabbed the unlucky vampire's arm and pulled it onto his waiting and well placed stake. As the vampire exploded in dust, Spike smiled and continued his search for more evil to kill.

There was a nagging doubt in the back of his mind, however, telling him that those _weren't_ the days. He had been strong, surely, but he hadn't had a purpose. Well, he had, but killing the Slayer only went so far. He'd kill one and then he'd spend years tracking down the next. He'd been close several times before he found Nikki, only to learn that the Slayer had already fallen to one demon or another. He'd gotten lucky with Buffy, happening upon her…

The thoughts of Buffy were the things generating his doubt, Spike realised. He not only felt strong, but now he had a goal. An _achievable_ goal, he corrected, because Buffy had become his goal for awhile. He knew that nothing he could have done then could have won her heart, but he had earned her respect, her trust. That was the reason he was out here, now, killing every vampire and beastie he ran across. That, and it was fun. Spike smirked wide as he saw another vampire dart out his direction. It was fun, indeed.

* * *

"Alright, so, what do we know about Sunnydale, about who protects it?" Without waiting for a response, Warren pointed to his whiteboard where an image of Buffy Summers was displayed. "We've all had run-ins with her. She is going to be our biggest obstacle. So, how do we take her down?"

"Well," Andrew began in his typical high pitch, "first, we know that she has friends that watch her back. We'll have to deal with them, too." Warren nodded at Andrew's point but Jonathan squirmed. He knew the people that backed up Buffy, and while he could never claim to be their friends, he did like them a great deal. Xander and Willow had been his classmates for years, even before Buffy had moved to town. He already wasn't comfortable with where this was going.

"What do you mean, 'deal with'? Are we talking about, ya know..." Jonathan quit talking and made a "schiiiiicccckkkk" noise while he motioned his thumb across his throat. Seeing the distress on Jonathan's face, and seeing a similar look forming on Andrew's, Warren reacted quickly.

"What, are you out of you mind? No, of course we won't kill them. We just need to... neutralise them long enough to get the job done." When relief clearly passed across both of his compatriots' faces, Warren knew he had diffused a potentially bad situation. It also let him know that he would have to take care of the really gritty work. Oh, well, such was the weight of leadership. "So, what say we do some reconnaissance, see what new info we can uncover and exploit. I'll set up some cameras."

"I'll see what kind of demons could be helpful," Andrew volunteered. Warren nodded and Andrew got up and went to one of the nearby work tables that was covered with books and symbols. Warren turned and looked expectantly at Jonathan.

"Give me a little time, I'll try to look up some spells," Jonathan said softly, causing Warren to smile.

"Alright boys; let's get to work!" A few hours later, Plan: Recon was ready to be put into action.

* * *

After a productive night of guarding Sunnydale against demonic threats, Spike unlocked the back door of the Summers home and let himself quietly in. It was almost dawn, so he decided to stay up and make sure that everything went right this morning. It was Monday, a school day, so Spike was going to make certain that Dawn left for school. He really didn't need to worry about it; everyone else was back on the same page. Still, he knew he would feel guilty if he went to bed without checking on everyone.

Spike was suddenly aware of just how different he had become over the last few years. Here he was, concerned about the wellbeing of _humans_, some of which he didn't particularly care for. It had gotten worse, he realised, since he feed off of that Mushu beast. He wasn't feeling the types of things that the King of Brooding had described when he talked of his soul, so Spike was pretty sure he was clear on that end. He did, however, feel more in touch with his... what? His human side? Spike scoffed at the idea. Old Willy was dead and gone, had been for over a century.

Then again, how else could he explain how easily he had lapsed back into the role of English Gentleman a few weeks ago? That had been before he had tasted the blue-blood god cocktail, so maybe it wasn't the blood affecting him after all.

Spike waited for everyone to awaken, passing the time with internal debate. He was so into his own head that he _almost_ missed Tara's approach. Spike found that he wasn't really missing much anymore, thanks to his recent... changes.

"Mornin' luv."

"Good morning, Spike," Tara said with a smile on her face. "Would you like something for breakfast? It's early so I'm taking requests." Spike smiled in return and briefly thought about taking her up on her offer before shaking his head.

"Not today, but I appreciate the offah." Tara shrugged her shoulders and began her morning preparations. Spike was happy to see that she was healing up nicely. He hadn't really had much doubt that she would, but he never trusted wounds created by magic. Hell, he didn't trust magic period.

Tara and Spike talked quietly while she cooked, letting the scents of food wake everyone up as opposed to raised voices. The first one down was, predictably, Giles. He had always been a morning person, so the smell of good food was only one reason he was awake. Giles spoke his hellos as he immediately began making his morning tea. Tara had tried to make it a few days ago, but Giles had politely informed her that, while she was an excellent cook, she had an American's touch when it came to making tea and to please desist in making it in the future.

"Good morning Tara, Spike."

"Morning Giles," Tara said while looking briefly away from her preparations.

"Rupert," was Spike's response.

"So, Spike," Giles began after he had taken the first sip of his morning tea, "how was last night's patrol?"

"Went well. Dusted a few vampires, rode down a Byahkee, and fought a particularly slimy Chaos Demon. I did everyone a favour by takin' a shower 'fore headin' back this way." Giles and Tara both murmured their thanks in response to Spike's last sentence. Giles then nodded, taking mental note, and resumed drinking his tea.

"So nothing was... out of the ordinary?" Giles asked his leading question with a certain look on his face, one Spike couldn't read. It seemed like concern mixed with curiosity, but he wasn't certain.

"No, not really," Spike answered truthfully. "No new change in any o' my abilities. Funny thing is, I've never 'eard o' any blood effects this good lastin' this long. And I know about a lot of 'em."

"Such as?" A curious Giles asked.

"Let's just say that blokes like The Master, Kakistos, and that ponce Dracula didn't get like they were just by livin' a long time. Sure, age had somethin' to do with it, but not all their goodies came from bein' grampas, so to speak." Giles was briefly taken aback, as he had never thought much about the advanced powers of elder vampires. He had always assumed that their powers were solely attributed to age. Then again, he had never had many opportunities to sit down and discuss vampire lore with a civil representative of the demon breed. If one could consider Spike civil, that is.

"While that may be so Spike, I doubt many vampires have been in your particular situation. Which brings to mind a new question; how is it you were able to drink from this particular creature? Surely, if it was anything like Glory, it couldn't have been easy," Giles pointed out.

"When I was drinkin' from it, I got some images through the blood. Happens from time to time, ya know. Thing is, I got the impression that he wasn't as strong as he shoulda' been, like he was recoverin' from somethin'."

"That sounds accurate compared with what I could find in the council records," Giles responded. "Muš-ḫuššu, or Sirrush, once resided in one of the Temples of Bel in ancient Babylon. He was the living god of the temple but was poisoned by an interloper who managed to outwit him. Texts claim that Sirrush is dead, but considering what we have learned since dealing with Glory, gods are notoriously hard to kill. I doubt simple poison would do the job, however draining it of all its blood just might." Giles paused to reflect upon his own statement before continuing. "One can never be too certain. What did you do with the body?"

"Don't know what happened to it, we didn't go back for it. I drank out its life, Giles; it's not commin' back from that." Spike was certain that the creature would not be coming back; he neglected to mention that thought-image transference only happened when one drank the last drops of lifeforce left in a creature. That was a gory detail he didn't want Tara to overhear, as she was still working away at breakfast. Before Giles could ask any more questions, Willow came down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Morning," Willow said sleepily to the two men in the room before walking over to Tara and giving her a much more lively greeting in the way of a kiss.

"Good morning to you too," Tara said with a wide smile on her face. Willow let her hand rest on Tara's jaw, looking lovingly over her face, drinking in every aspect of her lover. Willow had been especially attentive to Tara since the ordeal with Inanna. Tara was certain that Willow was trying to make up for her actions after Buffy's brief return, but in reality Willow was showering her love with affection for the way that Tara had defended her against Inanna.

"I know you guys really love each other," Dawn said as she descended the stairway, "but you could you guys not let everyone on your floor know it at 2am? Some of us have school." Dawn's words caused Giles to clean his glasses and cough while Tara and Willow blushed red with embarrassment.

"Were we really that loud?" Tara asked Willow quietly as she tried to hide her face with her hair as she went about finishing breakfast.

"Well, you were," Willow teased, making Tara blush even deeper. "I was as quiet as a church-mouse!"

"Yeah, and I'm a centaur," Dawn responded while rolling her eyes, drawing a surprised "Hey" from Willow.

"Are we certain we want everyone's bedroom exploits to be dining room material?" Giles asked as he put his glasses back on.

"I dunno; sounds like fun to me," Spike replied enthusiastically as he threw a wink at Tara while she began setting the food on the table.

"Not all of us pick up cheap floozies from Barny's, Spike," Willow fired off at Spike, mostly in jest.

"Oi! I'll have you know, I 'aven't had a decent shag in months 'cause I've been too busy babysitting you lot," Spike responded.

"Please, can we not involve Spike and sex in the same sentence," Giles said as he tried to steer the conversation another direction.

_Spike and sex_, Dawn thought to herself, before blushing a bit as she realised that she was staring at Spike. She blushed deeper as she discovered that Spike _knew_ that she was staring by winking at her. She turned away as Spike began talking.

"No worries, mate. Won't come up again." Spike looked around as the Scoobies began to seat themselves at the table. "So, breakfast time for you mere mortals; I guess I'll head downstairs to get some sleep." As Spike began to stand up, a feminine hand kept him in his seat.

"No you don't," Tara said playfully, setting a cup of heated blood in front of him before moving to serve everyone else at the table. "We're having a group breakfast so your presence is required." The way she said it left no room for argument. Spike was fairly certain that, had Xander been present, there would have been a lot of grumbling, but he wasn't so it didn't matter. He looked around the table at those present. Willow nodded her reassurance and Dawn smiled in happiness, though she hid her face when she caught him looking. For his part, Giles said nothing, which was as close to acceptance as Spike could expect from him. Spike nodded his head and picked up his mug as everyone else began to eat and talk.

While listening in, and occasionally joining the conversation, Spike noticed that Tara hadn't stuttered the whole morning. Truthfully, she had been stuttering less and less of late. He was genuinely happy for her and Red. That thought should have stricken him as odd, but he refused to dwell on it. Instead, he decided to drink his meal in the company of what was, strangely and against all odds, becoming his group of friends.

* * *

"Here's the plan," Warren began as he laid out blueprints of the Summers' house. "Andrew, you summon an Oni to distract the Slayer and her friends. Make sure it keeps them distracted for as long as possible." Andrew smiled, happy to be an important part of the plan. "Jonathan, you'll teleport you and me inside the house, here," Warren pointed to the second floor bathroom. "From there, we go out and canvass the building. I'll stay upstairs and bug all the rooms there. You go downstairs and bug the kitchen, living and dining rooms. Then we meet back upstairs and teleport out."

"Why do I have to go downstairs," Jonathan whined.

"Because, if there is someone downstairs, you can teleport yourself out and I can still sneak away from the second floor. If I get caught downstairs, I've got no way to bail." Jonathan wasn't happy with Warren's explanation, but it was the most logical setup. To Warren, the fact that it was logical was secondary to the fact that it kept him out of harm's way, but he would never admit that fact out loud. That, and he wanted to be upstairs to set some of their cameras up in places likely to catch certain... activities. If they were going through the trouble of bugging the house, why not get a free show or two? "Everybody get ready. We move in two hours."


	3. Trio: Act II

**A/N:** _Firstly, a thousand thanks to my beta, Orin Forever Crimson. This time she came through in a big way, not only returning the draft in record time, but also by saving my bacon as regards to a bit of character development! On to other things, don't expect an update as quickly as we've got the last few. While I'm cranking this episode out now, I don't know how long I'll keep this pace up. So, that said, please R&R but, most importantly, enjoy!_

* * *

It was around 10 a.m when the shouting began.

"Slayer, come out and face me!" The voice was booming yet raspy. Willow and Tara were both with Anya and Giles, working at the Magic Box. With Xander at work and Dawn at school, the sole inhabitant of the Summers home was a sleeping Spike.

"Bloody 'ell," Spike groaned as he got up and climbed the stairs to find the source of his annoyance.

"Slayer," the voice shouted again.

"I'm commin' ya loud ponce. Don't get yer knickers in a twist." When Spike reached the kitchen he looked out the glass on back door to see a large, red, ogre-like demon a few feet away from the porch. When he saw the iron club it was carrying, Spike recognised the demon as an oni rather than an ogre. Spike grabbed the blanket that was almost always by the door now and wrapped it around himself before flinging open the back door.

"Oi! Don't you know blokes are tryin' to get some shut-eye around here?" Spike incredulous tone caught the oni a bit off-guard. It stood staring at Spike for several seconds before responding.

"You're not the Slayer! Where is she? I must crush her," the demon said as it raised its large club for added emphasis.

"Little behind the times ain't ya' mate. Slayer's six feet under. I'm the new Slayer in this town." Again Spike's words seemed to confuse the demon. Sensing this, Spike pressed on. "Look, mate, I can see you're out o' your depth on this one. Why don't you just run on back to Japan where you belong and go back to harrasin' the locals, yeah? Save us both a headache." Spike turned to go back inside but left the door open. He knew that the oni wasn't going to leave without a fight, and he knew that he wouldn't put up much of one out in the sunlight. Spike walked in, immediately trying to calculate where to take the fight to cause the least bit of damage to the house when he heard a faint noise come from upstairs. Before Spike had time to investigate however, the oni outside bellowed and charged in through the back, forcing Spike to defend himself.

* * *

As Jonathan completed the last of his teleportation spell, Andrew and the basement disappeared from view, replaced by the unmistakable view of a restroom dominated by women. Both Jonathan and Warren sagged a bit when they rematerialized, never before having experienced the effects of teleportation. When they reoriented themselves, they found that they could hear a battle going on below them. Warren smiled when he realised that his plan was working, but he frowned when he noticed a problem with it. If the fighting was going on downstairs, Jonathan wouldn't be able to sneak down and place the bugs with any efficiency. Oh, well, no plan survived implementation perfectly.

"Jonathan, do you know any invisibility spells or anything that might make you harder to see?" Jonathan thought for a minute before slowly nodding his head.

"Invisibility is a little out of my league but I do know an obscuring spell. Basically, it would make us more difficult to see in proportion to what's going on around us. It kinda hides us in the chaos." Warren nodded.

"Sounds great. Cast in on yourself and head downstairs. I don't think Andrew's summon will hold the Slayer longer than ten minutes so use your time wisely." With that Warren began to place the transmitters in the bathroom. When he was finished, he opened the bathroom door and stepped into the master bedroom. As Warren stepped out, Jonathan had completed the casting of his spell before taking the door leading to the hall and heading downstairs.

Warren looked around the master bedroom, immediately realizing that, even though he had memorized the floor plans, he was lost in this house. He had expected this room to be Buffy's but instead it was apparent that this room belonged to two women, the two wiccans. In the end, Warren decided that this was a good thing, as he began to bug the room. He might be getting more of a show than he bargained for. It only took him a minute to set up everything before moving on to the next room.

As he opened the door, he heard a loud crash followed by cursing coming from below him. He smiled slightly and went about his business. Upon entering, Warren found that this room also did not meet his expectation. He had initially expected this room to belong to Willow, but after his last discovery had been expecting this one to be Buffy's. Judging by the décor, such as the band posters on the wall, this room could only belong to a teenager, which meant the little sister Dawn. Warren bugged this room too and, after some consideration, he decided to add a few of the video variety. Sure, the sister was a bit young for his tastes, but she would grow up eventually.

Warren left Dawn's room and entered the hall. He had to be careful not to be seen as the hallway was open facing downstairs. He snuck by and into the third and final room on the second floor. He entered, expecting at last to find Buffy's room, knowing that there weren't any other bedrooms left in the house. When he entered and saw several storage boxes Warren had to stop and think. He could only guess that the slayer had moved into the basement but there was no way to go down and check that theory. As he was turning to go back to the bathroom, a box caught his eye. He moved closer to inspect it. Sure enough, he had read the handwritten label correctly. 'Buffy's things' it read in black marker. Why would the slayer pack up all her belongings? What's more, why would she self-label them? It finally occurred to Warren that maybe he had been wrong about everything. Maybe the Slayer had finally met her match and hadn't come home one night. It would explain everything that he had found so far.

As he was sneaking back towards the restroom he was taken by surprise and knocked to the floor.

"What the hell!" Warren had no idea what had hit him until he heard Jonathan's voice.

"We gotta go now!" The panic in his voice left no room for debate as Warren grabbed the now visible Jonathan's hand as he began casting a spell. An instant later, Spike came rushing up the stairs only to see two men briefly before they vanished. It was long enough, however, for Spike to recognise the other man.

* * *

Jonathan heard the commotion coming from the kitchen. He decided that he would hit that room first since he was least likely to be seen there, given the spell he had just cast. He entered the kitchen to see not Buffy, as he was expecting, but a blonde-headed man fighting the oni demon. Spike, the man's name, popped into Jonathan's head as he saw the man duck a mighty swing from the oni. The iron club Andrew's demon was wielding sailed past its intended target and smashed into the china cabinet.

"You _sodding_ idiot," Spiked raged at the oni, "those were Joyce's!" Jonathan briefly remembered Joyce Summers as a kind and firm woman. He had met her once or twice at school functions. He then recalled that the woman had died not too long ago. He then also remembered that the blonde man, Spike, was also dead. A vampire, in fact. Jonathan gulped as he wondered why a vampire was in league with the Slayer. Sure, he remembered Angel a bit, especially from Graduation night, so the idea of a vampire and a Slayer working together wasn't completely foreign to him, but last he had heard Spike was a bad guy. On their side, Warren would have said, although Jonathan found it hard to consider himself a 'bad guy'. Then again, here he was, looking for a way to help bring down the Slayer, a woman who had helped save his life countless times. Jonathan seemed to have forgotten his purpose, and even the fight in front of him, as he struggled with himself.

"Where is the Slayer?" The oni's question reverberated around the house.

"I done told you, didn' I? She dead you twit. I'm in charge around here now." The oni roared and took another massive swing at Spike. Spike ducked and grabbed the demon's arm, pinning it behind his back while he tried to wrest the iron club away from its meaty hand. All the while Jonathan stood in the doorway, as oblivious to the fight as its combatants were to him.

Jonathan was finally drawn out of his reminiscing as he had to duck the oni's club as it flew right over his head. Spike had managed to disarm the red-skinned brute and was now atop its back, holding the demon's left arm. As the oni tried to reach around with its right arm, Spike let go of the left and promptly wrapped his arms around the creature's neck. With a quick twist, the oni hit the floor and the fight was over. Spike then stopped and sniffed the air, '_like a bloodhound or something_,' Jonathan thought. Then, Spike stared right into Jonathan's eyes.

"What 'ave we here? Are you this thing's wrangler? You're gonna' _pay _for it breaking Joyce's dishes, mate." Jonathan yelped and bolted back towards the stairs. He didn't honestly think he could outrun a vampire but he _did_ have a trick up his sleeve. Jonathan took a green orb out of his pocket and spoke the power words before throwing it at Spike. Spike's hand darted up to keep the now glowing ball from hitting his face. When he caught the orb the force surprised Spike, actually taking him off of his feet and sending him sailing backwards into the kitchen. Jonathan proceeded to rush up the stairs while looking back towards Spike. He was so intent on that direction that he barreled into Warren without even realizing it.

"What the hell!" Warren's voice was a surprise, but a welcome one. For a brief second, Jonathan feared that the vampire had moved ultra-fast and was waiting for him at the top of the stairs.

"We gotta go now," Jonathan practically shouted as he heard Spike moving in the kitchen. He raced through the teleportation incantation and was relieved when the Summers' home began to fade. Still, his heart jumped into his throat when he saw Spike rush up the stairs. Spike and Warren locked eyes before both Warren and Jonathan found themselves standing in Warren's basement, Andrew's expectant face swiftly coming into view.

"So, did it go well? How did the oni do?" Jonathan was about to say something when Warren spoke up.

"It did fine, Andrew. We got the job done." Warren walked over to the nearest chair and plunked himself down. He had to think. He recognized the man in the hallway. He was a vampire, Warren recalled. He had made some fairly convincing threats about a year ago when he had coerced Warren into building him a robot. A robot of Buffy. Why would he be helping the Slayer? There was so much to figure out. "Let's make sure it was all worth it. Jonathan, how many of our toys did you place?"

"Erm," Jonathan began as he fidgeted, "none."

"What?" Warren jumped out of his chair shouting. "What the hell were you doing?" Warren's anger was surprising; Jonathan had seen him irate before but nothing like this. He looked almost murderous.

"What would you have done with a vampire and an ogre acting out a D&D battle three feet from you? Them fighting in the house was never part of the plan! Don't blame me for things I can't control." Jonathan's outburst and sudden display of a spine surprised him. It also surprised his two friends as well.

"Okay, sure, no sweat. Don't worry about it," a now calm, if somewhat shocked, Warren replied. "So, uh, did you learn anything?" Jonathan thought a moment before responding.

"Yeah, actually, I did. The vampire said something… he said that the Slayer was dead, that he was in charge now."

"Oooh, a vampyre is in charge," Andrew said, placing his hand on his chin and pronouncing the word 'vampire' as he believed it should be. "Does that make things easier or more difficult for us?"

"I don't know," Warren replied honestly. "Let's just… wait and see what the transmitters we placed can tell us. Turn 'em on," Warren directed at Andrew, who hopped up immediately to comply. They sat back and watched in silence as two bedrooms and a bathroom came in to view from various cameras. High-fives went around the room as Warren then altered the viewing angles of all the cameras and the monitors registered sound. All in all, the mission was a success. But if the Slayer was really dead, was the only thing standing in their way of town domination a lone vampire?

* * *

Dawn and Tara were the first one's home. Tara had begun picking up Dawn from school after Giles had bought her and Willow a car a few days ago. '_It won't do_,' Giles had said, '_to have everyone relying upon Xander and myself for transportation. What if something comes up? We all know how dreadful the public transport is in Sunnydale._' Since Tara was the only one of the remaining Scoobies with a valid driver's license, she was the one who drove the car. It had made Xander especially happy since he didn't have to make excuses to leave work early to pick up Dawn.

When the girls walked through the door, they could immediately tell that something was amiss. To their right was a large iron rod laying partially in the dining room and partially in the foyer.

"What?" Dawn voiced what both she and Tara were thinking. Tara instinctively moved to put herself in front of Dawn should any danger be lurking in the house. When they heard a crash come from the kitchen accompanied by Spike's voice, they both calmed a little.

"Bugger all!" As the women walked into the kitchen, they could see china strewn all about the table with Spike attempting to piece it back together. He had a plastic bowl full of some compound that he was using as glue. He looked up when he heard Dawn's intake of breath when she realised that it was her mother's good china.

"I'm so sorry, pet," Spike began as he held her gaze. "Some big red beastie came lookin' for trouble. I kept 'im from doin' too much damage to the place, but..." he let his voice trail off as he motioned towards all the broken dishes on the table. "I'm doin' what I can, usin' an old trick me mum taught me once upon a time." Spike paused briefly to paste and hold two pieces together before continuing. "It's goin' well so far," Spike said in a more upbeat voice as he nodded towards the sink. On the right hand side of the sink was a stack of bowls and cups that he had already managed to put together.

Seeing how hard Spike was working to fix things up really made Dawn's heart swell. She knew that Spike had cared for her mother and this only served as more evidence.

"Thank you, Spike." Dawn ran over and gave him a hug and a brief kiss on the cheek before rushing up the stairs, more to hide her deeply flushing face than anything else.

"You're welcome, nibblit," Spike said softly as she started up the stairs. Spike turned to Tara who was staring at him with a smile on her face. "What?" Spike's voice took on a decidedly defensive tone.

"No, nothing," Tara said, trying hard to hide her smile. "So, what kind of monster was it?"

"It was an oni, a Japanese ogre, more or less. Bit bigger and stronger but just as dumb. Said he was after our girl Friday before he came barrelin' in and smashin' up the place."

"Buffy?" Tara was fairly certain that's who Spike was referring too, but she could never be certain with Spike. He had so many pet names for everyone it was hard to keep track of which one belonged to whom. Spike's nod answered her question.

"What's more, there were two men with it. One of 'em was fairly good with magic." Tara paid extra attention when Spike mentioned magic; she knew that it was more her and Willow's field than Spike's. "He threw some kinda magical tennis ball at me, threw me a good fifteen feet. I followed him up the stairs where I saw the second one before they pulled a Houdini." Tara got that one instantly.

"They teleported? That takes, if not a high level of power, at least a high level of knowledge." Tara tried to put the pieces together. Controlling demons and casting advanced spells would narrow down the field of potential enemies but they would need more to go on if they wanted to find out who was after them. "What were they doing upstairs?"

"I looked around after they vanished, tried to see if I noticed anythin' outta place. I didn't, but you might. My quarters are located downward instead of up, if you catch my meanin'." Tara did. Tara stood to leave Spike to his repairs. She went upstairs to check her and Willow's room and to tell Dawn to check her own to see if anything was missing or out of place.

* * *

The three men sat in their basement, having picked up their Dungeons and Dragons game, when two females walked onto their monitors. Andrew was the first to notice as he was facing the screens.

"Hey, guys, we've got some activity." Both Warren and Jonathan turned to look at the computers. All three then moved to the chairs arranged in front of the monitors. The women, Tara and Dawn, seemed to be looking around their rooms. These were the crucial moments, all three men realised, as the discovery of their recording devices would severely hamper any further planning. They breathed a collective sigh of relief as, after a minute or two, both women seemed satisfied that nothing was missing.

Warren was quite pleased with himself. He had not been too concerned that his babies would be found. Not only had he designed them with silent servo motors as well as an active camouflage chip, he had hidden them fairly well also. All they needed to do now was sit back and wait for some pertinent information to head their way.

* * *

By the time that Giles arrived home with Willow, Spike had repaired as much china as he could as well as doing a decent job repairing the china cabinet. It still needed the glass replaced, but other than that it was fine. When Xander and Anya arrived, Spike informed all latecomers about the incident over the dinner that Tara had prepared.

"So, what did you do with the body," Giles had asked while sipping his dinner tea.

"Couldn't 'ave done anythin' with it, it was gone by the time I came back downstairs. And before you start askin' me again if I'm sure it was dead, I am. No self-respectin' oni would leave his club behind. It'd be a sign o' dishonour." Giles nodded, accepting Spike's response.

"What did the two men look like?" Willow was intrigued about the possibility of dealing with magic-users. After all, when dealing with magic, it's best to defend yourself with magic. Willow was slowly beginning to use magic again after she had cut herself off after the encounter with Buffy, and she relished every opportunity. Willow was certain that the only reason Inanna had bested her a week ago was because she had allowed herself to become rusty. Still, she had seen first-hand how awry magic could go, so she was going to be much more attentive to what she was doing in the future.

"One of 'em I knew. His name was Warren. He, uh, he built the robot for me."

"Robot?" Giles seemed lost.

"He means the Buffybot that he built for sex." Anya didn't understand the looks most of the others threw her way. She had simply informed Giles of pertinent information. She decided she would ask Xander about it later.

"Oh, I see," Giles responded, setting his tea down and taking his glasses off to clean them.

"He shouldn't be too hard to find," Spike began again, trying to draw the conversation away from that particular screw up in his life. "The other one was short. Thin like, but not athletic. Uh, black hair, cut short. He was Jewish by ethnicity, no offense love," Spike directed towards Willow.

"No, none taken," she responded.

"Wait, that sounds almost like Jonathan," Xander said after some consideration.

"Jonathan Levinson? But he was always so harmless."

"This bloke wasn't so harmless," Spike interjected.

"I think I recall the young man," Giles spoke up. "I seem to remember him checking out some books on the occult from time to time. He was one of the few students who actually used the library." Giles' voice was warm until he began speaking again. "Shame he's used his knowledge for this."

"Wait, I think we just put up one of Buffy's yearbooks," Dawn said, a bit excited to useful. Before anyone could say anything she rushed up the stairs into the bedroom currently being used to store Buffy's things. She knew which box she wanted and quickly opened it, finding what she wanted in a matter of seconds. Then she went back downstairs and put the yearbook in front of Spike. As Spike began to search through names the rest of the Scoobies began to crowd in. Dawn, leaning over Spike's shoulder, became suddenly aware of just how close she was to him. She could smell him, the scent of leather and Morley's, was distinctly Spike. Her cheeks flushed and her heart began to beat faster as she noticed the placement of her body. Her chest was inches away from his face. If he turned his head just right...

"Yeah, that's the one," Spike's words drew Dawn out of her fantasy. When as he turned his head to meet Dawn's gaze, however, her knees about buckled. "Good job with the yearbook idea, luv."

"Sure, no problem," Dawn mumbled. Gods, what was she feeling and why was she feeling it for Spike? Dawn straightened up and walked back to her seat.

"Hunh. Who would've thought that Jonathan would turn to the dark side," Xander exclaimed.

"Don't worry about it, mate. I know where robot-boy lives. As soon as the sun goes down, I'll be payin' Butch and Sundance a visit." Spike's words had mixed effects on the group.

"Sounds good to me," Xander replied before adding a second helping of mashed potatoes to his plate.

"Don't you think you'll need back up?" Willow's concerned look was unmistakable. "I mean, if magic is being used, do you think you can handle it on your own?" Spike looked as if he was going to decline before changing his mind. He didn't know the reason behind Willow's sudden censoring of herself on the magical front, but if she was going to offer, he wouldn't turn her down. He wasn't certain just how much protection his recently acquired upgrade would provide against all things magical, and it didn't hurt to be prepared.

"I've never been a fan o' hocus pocus, Red, but I don't wanna' go in all half cocked. I think I can handle anythin' that Tweedle's Dee and Dumb can throw at me, but I can't keep my promise to watch over niblet if I'm the dust coverin' some nerd's floors. Magic me up," Spike said a bit reluctantly. He knew that magic could be very useful. Hell, he'd seen it first hand over the summer with the way Tara, and especially Willow, used magic to help negate loss of Buffy's Slaying expertise. Still, he was always wary of the stuff.

After dinner was over and the dishes were washed, Xander and Anya said their goodbyes and headed out. Shortly thereafter, Willow and Tara cast some basic protection spells on Spike before he headed out in search of his prey.


	4. Trio: Act III

**AN:** _First and foremost, a thousand thanks to my beta, Orin Forever Crimson. Alright, this section is out later than I wanted but sooner than I expected. I'm already working on Act IV, but I wouldn't expect it until around the month's end. So, please R&R but most importantly, enjoy!_

* * *

"I wanted to stay and help them," Anya suddenly said as she and Xander drove home. Xander was taken off guard by the statement, as seconds before they had been talking about wedding plans.

"You wanted to help who do what, Ahn?" Since Xander didn't know what she was referencing specifically, and since he also knew that Anya would be upset with him for **not** knowing, he decided to guess. "I'm sure the girls would've loved help with the dishes, but it's a little late now. Maybe next time we-"

"That's not what I mean, Xander," Anya interrupted him in a disappointed tone. "I wanted to help Willow and Tara with the spell." _Ah, so that was her angle_ Xander thought. He had talked to them about it, and Tara had even asked for Anya's help with saving Willow a couple of weeks ago. He had hoped that she would have gotten it out of her system but now he could see he was wrong.

"The woman who attacked us last week said that I had great untapped potential," Anya continued. "I want to tap it!" Xander chuckled a bit at Anya's choice of wording, earning him a glare that quickly removed the humor from his face.

"Anya, honey, that woman was an evil psychopath who tried to murder all our friends. I don't think that we can take anything she said to the bank."

"Well, how else does one search for potential other than practice?" Anya knew Xander well, so she decided to put it in terms he would understand. "Would the man rat rush off into battle without vigorous training?" Xander didn't quite understand at first, going so far as to mutter man rat quizzically under his breath, before he finally understood.

"Batman?" When Anya nodded her head, Xander knew that he had made at least one correct guess on the night. "Yeah, you're right. He would study all his opponents and then make sure he was properly equipped for any villain, or superhero, he might meet. That's why he keeps a Kryptonite ring in his belt. See, it's lead lined, so as not to..." When Xander took his eyes off the road to look over at Anya, he could see that she wasn't interested in a full length dissertation on the merits of Batman. So, he left that for another time, instead choosing to get back to the point.

"Talk to them, Anya. Tell them you want to help on a more permanent basis in that department. Make sure they know that you've got a thousand years of field time on them." Xander's words seem to hit the mark. He couldn't help but see out of the corner of his eye that she was wearing a wide smile. Xander smiled himself as they drove home.

* * *

Spike walked purposely towards Warren's home. At least, he hoped that Warren was still living there. It had been a few months since he had set foot in the place, and last time he was there it had seemed like Warren was trying to leave town. Still, it was his best shot of finding him.

Spike didn't know why the robot building _berk_ was still around, or why he had developed a sudden interest in the Slayer, but he knew that it couldn't be good. Oni's were not pushovers in the combat department, by any means. Spike had fought one once before, during his time in eastern Asia. He ventured a bit too close to the edge of China and it seemed that the Oni had ventured a bit west of Japan. The fight would not have ended well for Spike if Dru hadn't been there.

He hadn't thought of Drusilla in a long while, Spike realised suddenly. He didn't really miss her, if he was being honest with himself, but he did miss the good times he had with her. Sure, she had been crazy for as long as he had known her, but Spike had always known where he stood with Dru. She had always loved him, and he her. This was something of an oddity amongst vampires. Most trysts didn't last more than a few decades. Hell, the only vampire couple that were together longer than he and Dru had been Angel and Darla, but they never had what he and Drusilla had shared.

Spike sighed loudly. He wasn't used to all the inner contemplation that he had been having of late, causing him to dwell on the actions of his past. He was relieved when he came upon the house of Warren Mears. There was a van parked in the driveway, telling Spike that someone lived there. Whether or not it was Warren remained to be seen. His first instinct was to kick down the door and charge in. However, if an innocent family resided inside, Spike would never hear the end of it from the Scoobies. That, and if Warren didn't live there, he'd have a tough time getting in. He'd received an invite into the house when it was Warren's. That invite wouldn't stand if someone new was living there.

So, Spike decided to try the civil approach. He walked up the path to the door and rang the bell.

* * *

"Somebody wanna go get that?" Warren was watching the feed from the Summers house intensely and he didn't want to miss any action if it happened. Sure, he was recording every second from every camera, but some things you just want to see live. The two women living in the master bedroom appeared to be about to get steamy.

"Don't you want to oversee who we let into your house?" Irritated, Warren turned to regard Jonathan. While he had a point, Warren knew that he was saying it to be sarcastic, challenging his grasp on leadership. He was about to retort when Andrew, ever eager to please, began his way up the stairs.

"I'll get it," Andrew called down as he was halfway up the staircase, leaving Jonathan and Warren to stare down one another. Warren muted the video feed as he geared up dress down his soldier. He didn't want moans interrupting the conversation. That would just be awkward.

"What is your problem, man? You've been acting weird ever since we went to the Slayer's house." Warren didn't like the way Jonathan had been acting, and he wasn't going to let it continue.

"My problem is the way we're going about it," Jonathan said, surprising both himself and Warren. "Look, we both went to school with those people, me longer than you, and they are _good_ people. Do you remember the day we graduated?" Warren just nodded, fighting to keep his jaw from clenching in anger. "They saved all our lives. We owe them more than this."

"Hey, nobody is hurting anybody," the pause, denoting an unspoken _yet,_ was not lost on Jonathan. "Do you want to take over Sunnydale or not? You're either in or out; I can't have you jeopardising what Andrew and I are working towards." Jonathan wasn't given a chance to respond, as Andrew's unconscious body landed at the bottom of the stairs. The feuding men were suddenly side by side as they faced down the vampire they had encountered at the Slayer's house.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anythin'," Spike said as casually as he could, fighting not to cradle his head. His brain was on fire because after Andrew had opened the door upstairs, the scents of his prey wafted out of the building. Spike had reacted violently, knowing that he could not afford to let on that harming humans in turn hurt him. So, before the blonde geek had been able to offer his greetings, Spike had knocked him out with a single punch to the face. Sure, it hurt like hell, but he knew that he might be forced to do much worse if things went poorly.

"How did you find us," Warren asked.

"What, are you daft? I 'ave been here before, ya know. Twice, actually." Spike could see that his barb about Warren's intelligence had struck the mark. He was more the brainy type than the brute. Spike thought that if he could figure out the other man in the room that things would go much more smoothly than he had anticipated. Sadly, while Spike could strategize with the best of them, he rarely ever had the patience to follow through with his own plans. So, he hoped that cowing the obvious leader would be enough to scare Harry Potter standing in the corner.

"I don't know what you pillocks are up to," Spike said as he grabbed Warren by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall, carefully concealing the anguish burning through his head while doing so. "And I don't really care. You stay away from _that_ house and from the people livin' in it. If you hurt anyone that calls that place home," Spike paused and stared holes into Warren's eyes with his gaze, "there will be nowhere on this earth that you can hide. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Warren managed to gasp out. Spike had been slowly choking him with his shirt, twisting the fabric to bunch at the neck and choke off his air supply.

"Right. Now, don't let me see you buggers again, yeah?" Spike dropped Warren unceremoniously on his ass before turning dramatically and moving up the stairs with the grace that only a vampire could muster.

Warren sat where he was dropped for a moment, catching his breath, before he hastily made his way to his feet. His mind immediately began working on to spin this in his favour. He might not need Jonathan for long, but he definitely needed him now. After a few seconds, he was fairly certain he had the answer. He moved over to check on Andrew, releasing a sigh of relief when he found that the man was still breathing. He did have a nasty looking bruise on his left cheek, though. Ice would be useful in lessening the swelling _and_ making it seem that Warren was concerned about the groups safety.

"So, **that** is what hangs out with your _good_ people." The sarcasm practically dripped from the word good as Warren used the same term that Jonathan had used to describe the Scoobies. Warren walked over to the refrigerator and pulled some ice out and put it into a plastic bag before applying it to Andrew's face. Andrew stirred a bit but didn't seem like he would be waking up anytime soon. "He's a killer, Jonathan, a blood sucker. I don't know how he managed to con your _friends_ into letting him live with them, but it doesn't matter. See, this is why I want us to take over Sunnydale! Even good people can be turned to the Dark Side."

Warren was a good orator, Jonathan would give him that. But something kept nagging at the back of his mind. What if it wasn't like that? What if Buffy, Willow, Xander and the others were such good people that a vampire would choose to work with them? The indecision that worked its way across Jonathan's face appeared to Warren as if his words were making him question his faith in the Slayer and her friends. He believed that he had accomplished his goal of keeping the Trio together. While he was certain that the Trio would be one member short sometime in the future, he wanted it to be on his terms.

As Warren schemed, the computers continued their unending job of recording the events in the Summers home second floor, momentarily forgotten in the far corner of the Trio's basement.

* * *

After Spike had left the Trio's headquarters, he went about his nightly slaying duties, patrolling the cemeteries of Sunnydale. As he passed through the Silver Mound Cemetery, a woman's scream cut through the night air. He rushed off in that direction, swiftly coming upon three vampires with their fangs out surrounding a single woman.

The woman was in her mid-twenties with brown hair and skin tanned from many days spent in the sun. Although she looked fairly athletic for a human, Spike knew she was no match for a single vampire, let alone three of them. From the looks on their faces, Spike could tell that the vampires were playing with their food before eating it. He could also tell that scaring the woman wasn't all they had in mind before dining.

"I'd leave the lady alone if you know what's good for you," Spike said nonchalantly, drawing the three other vampires' attention toward him. "That one's vicious," Spike said as he nodded in the direction of the woman. His words caused the gang to momentarily regard the woman again before turning back to him.

"Get lost, guy. Unless you want to be next..." What could only be the leader left his threat hanging. His words had the opposite effect on Spike. They didn't recognise him as a fellow vampire, which only meant that they were either daft or very young. Either way, they posed no real threat to Spike.

"Look, mate, I'm warnin' ya. She's a killer. She'll get'cha when you're not lookin'." All three vampires turned again to look at their meal, giving Spike all the opportunity he needed. He moved lightning quick, taking down the lead first with a stake driven into the heart from behind. Before he had completely turned to dust Spike had already moved to the second vampire, repeating the process of 'stake from behind'. The final vampire had barely had time to turn back around when Spike shoved the wooden weapon through his heart. As all three finished turning to dust, Spike looked over at the former potential victim.

"You should know better than to travel alone at night in Sunnydale." Spike's voice was both calming and condescending.

"I was going to work!" The indignant response wasn't the one Spike was expecting.

"Going to work? In the middle of the night? What kind of wor—oh." Spike started piecing things together. "A woman by herself in the middle of the night, headed in to 'work'. Gotcha." The woman seemed confused for a moment before rage consumed her.

"I am **not** a _hooker,_ you ass!" The woman was yelling now, possibly louder than she had screamed earlier. Spike put his hands up in surrender but instead of backing away he smiled.

"You make it a habit of insulting people who just saved your life?" Spike's question seemed to take the wind out of the woman's sails as she sputtered a bit before shaking her head and beginning to laugh. When she had controlled herself enough to speak, she walked towards Spike and put her hand out.

"I'm Katrina." Spike stared at it a moment before taking it in his hand and shaking it. "I own a bakery a few blocks from here, the Sunnydale Rise n' Shine. I was headed there when those _things _attacked me." Spike had to commend her already. She was accepting that her assailants weren't entirely human. Most people, even in Sunnydale, had a tendency to blame drugs for the distorted faces of their attackers. Spike appraised Katrina again.

"How is it a lady as young as you owns a bakery. 'Sides, no way someone as thin as you is a baker." Katrina smiled at his comments.

"This is California, remember? Image is everything. If you want the weight conscious fashionistas to shop at your store, you've got to look like they do. If they walk in and see Chef Tony behind the counter, they're going to walk away no matter how good the food is." Spike nodded in agreement with her logic.

"Tell me about it. I knew a lady once, great bird, funny and caring, but I'll be damned if she didn't worry about shoes all the time. She... she's gone now." Spike decided not to say anything further. Anytime he thought of Buffy, even in passing, it usually turned out like this. Hadn't he been happy a minute ago?

"I'm sorry," Katrina said, placing her hand on Spike's shoulder. "She must have meant a great deal to you."

"Meant a great deal to a lot of folk." Spike sighed. This wasn't a conversation he wanted to be having. "So, you were headed to work? Let's get you there safe and sound, yeah?" Katrina knew a conversational dodge when she saw one and nodded politely.

"Sure, it's right around this corner and up a few blocks."

Spike and Katrina talked idly as they walked the remaining distance. Nothing stepped out from the shadows to attack them as they went. When they got to the bakery, Spike was impressed. The storefront was just right to attract both the image conscious and the not so concerned to the place. The word 'Sunnydale' was stylized while the 'Rise 'n Shine' was bold and blocky. It gave the appearance that it was a local branch of a national chain, something he could tell wasn't true but would matter to those fashion queens who would frequent the place. The inside was no less impressive, with dozens of pastries, pies and cakes adorning numerous glass shelves.

"I had to come in early because Saturday is our biggest day. We go through several hundred doughnuts before 11am." She pointed to a large stack of empty donut boxes. They were an off-white colour with 'SR'nS' emblazoned on the top. Spike immediately recognised the boxes as Xander brought them home from time to time.

"Do you know a bloke named Xander? Kinda tall, brown hair, goofy looking." Spike's description made Katrina laugh.

"Yes, I know Xander," Katrina responded with a bit of a chuckle still left in her voice. "Are you a friend of his?" The question left Spike without an answer because he wasn't entirely certain _how_ to answer. Was Xander his friend? Was he Xander's?

"Good question, luv," Spike decided on, causing Katrina to laugh again.

"Well, here, oh rescuer of mine. Take these doughnuts to your sort-of friend. On the house, of course. I made them before I left yesterday, so they're still fresh." Katrina started to grab some pastries from a counter when Spike spoke up.

"Could I place an actual order? I've got quite a few birds that I'm stayin' with, along with an older bloke. I'd like to save one of 'em the bother o' cookin' today." Katrina smiled wide an nodded, giving Spike the go ahead to place his order. "Right, I'll take two glazed, two cinnamon, couple o' cream-filled, and a jelly. No, no, let's round that out to four jellies...". Spike continued calling out every doughnut that he could remember even smelling on the Scoobies. When he was done, he reached into his duster for the cash to pay for the order.

"Hey, free of charge. Consider it repayment for saving my life." Spike just nodded and smiled. He stayed and kept Katrina company until daybreak was drawing near. He thanked her again before leaving her store with three boxes stuffed full of breakfast goodies.

* * *

Tara was the first female up, as was usual. As she looked to her right upon descending the stairs, she saw Giles still asleep in the living room. Tara was a bit surprised to find that Giles was not already up. She and Giles were always the first two up and they traded frequently who would beat who to the kitchen. On the weekends, though, Giles was almost always first. As she passed his room, and entered the kitchen she noticed a large pile of white boxes. When she got closer, she knew immediately what they were. Tara looked around, expecting to see Xander standing somewhere nearby but when she looked out the window she didn't see his car. Intrigued, Tara decided she knew where to check next. She opened the back door and stepped out.

"Mornin', luv." Tara didn't quite jump because she was expecting Spike to be outside, although she wasn't expecting him to be right beside the door as she opened it.

"Spike, what are you doing outside? The sun's out!" The concern was evident in her voice.

"The sun's low enough, it hasn't crested the houses on the back side o' the block." Spike pointed his cigarette in the direction of the houses across the alley. "Side's, I'm old enough not to burst immediately into flames. That, and somethin' tells me that I could endure a bit more of the sun's warming rays than I used to. Some kinda bonus from tastin' godhood." When he finally turned to look at Tara, he could see that she was worried about him. "Don't worry. I'm not about to go frolickin' about at high noon. I've got a bit o' resistance, not complete immunity."

"How can you tell," Tara asked, a little less worried but just as curious. "Have you... tested your theory?"

"Not yet. I can just feel it. It feels similar to when I had the Gem o' Amarra." When Tara didn't seem to recognise the reference, Spike explained further. "Right, that was a bit before you joined our merry band." Tara noticed that he had referred to himself as part of the group, something she had never heard him do before. She kept her observation to herself, however, as she was certain that if she mentioned it, Spike would go running for the proverbial shadows.

"There was this ring, see. It made whatever vampire who wore it the equivalent of a superhero. Or villain, I suppose. Anyway, it made you stronger, quicker, resistant to stakes through the heart and, best of all, completely impervious to the harsh light of day." Spike paused and let what that meant soak in. "I had it for awhile. I fought Buffy, she sent me packin', and the ring got shipped off to the poofter in L.A. He destroyed it, last I heard. Probably for the best." Spike paused for a moment to take a drag of his cigarette before continuing. "The ring had a way o' lettin' you know that you were stronger, better. I feel a bit like that all the time now."

Tara shook her head in amazement. Rather than say any of what she was thinking, she decided to grab Spike's arm and lead him back inside.

"It's time to go inside, resistance or no. I'm not chancing you going up in flames before breakfast." Spike didn't really fight her, even after she took his Morely and put it out before leading him inside. "Thank you for the doughnuts, by the way."

"I thought it would be nice, somebody makin' breakfast for you for a change." Spike was about to start listing off all the different sweets he had brought but he never got the chance and a deep hug from Tara caught him completely off-guard.

"Thank you Spike, for everything. We don't say it enough but without you, this wouldn't be possible. This place, this home we've made for ourselves, just wouldn't be safe without you. It wouldn't be home." Spike stood stunned, unable to respond, even after Tara let him go and began to eat a cinnamon twist. Her eyes rolled back and fluttered a bit as she enjoyed every last bite.

As the rest of the Scoobies woke up and came downstairs, they were delighted to find not only a change of pace, but a call back to the past. When Xander showed up with Anya, he was especially surprised to find plenty of jelly doughnuts and crullers. While Spike watched on, he found that his memory had been accurate. It seemed that he had every type of pastry the group could have wanted. Even Giles was happy. When everybody had eaten their fill, Tara's eyes locked with Spike's, a smile wide on her face. She nodded her thanks before turning back to the conversation she was having with Willow.

"You're welcome," Spike said, quietly enough not to be heard.


	5. Trio: Act IV

**AN:** _As always, a thousand thanks to my beta, _Orin Forever Crimson_. I thank those of you who have been kind enough to leave me your thoughts on the story; it really encourages me to keep my but in gear. So, please R&R, but most importantly, enjoy!_

* * *

'_Dear Diary_', Dawn began writing as she lay on her bed, feet casually hanging off of the end. "_Today Spike brought us doughnuts! How thoughtful is that? Spike has really been stepping it up lately, trying to fit in with everyone else. Even Xander and Giles are starting to like him. Also, it's still a little weird thinking of Giles as my dad. I mean, __dad_ Hank _was never around very much after he and mom broke up but he was always my dad. But after mom died, Buffy pretty much disowned him. She told me one night that when she pictured what a dad was supposed to be, she always saw Giles face. Then, she blushed and made me swear never to tell him. I wonder what Giles would say if he knew I had feelings for Spike.'_

Dawn had to stop writing and reread what she had jotted down. Did she really just write that? Feelings for Spike…

Dawn rolled over onto her back and thought about it as she stared out her open window. Sure, he was good looking, and he definitely had the accent going for him, and of course she cared about him, but did she have _other_ feelings for him? She had always had a not-so-little crush on Spike, but Dawn believed that it had developed into something more. That still left the question of how everyone else would take it.

Dawn knew from Buffy's experiences with Angel that Giles would never approve. Willow and Tara would probably back her up on it, but Xander wouldn't. Dawn, in a very mature fashion, decided that acting on her feelings now would only hurt the fragile bonds Spike was beginning to make. So, resolving to try and be less obvious, Dawn rolled back over and started to close her diary but instead decided to pencil her and Spike's name into a heart, just to see what it looked like. She then doodled her name and 'William' into another heart just bellow it, trying to decided which she liked better. Deciding that it was impossible, Dawn got up and walked towards her door. As she was about to open it, it opened from the other side, revealing Xander munching on the last of the crullers from Spike's doughnut bonanza earlier in the day.

"Hey Dawnster," Xander somehow managed to say with a mouthful of pastry. "Man, these doughnuts Spike got from Katrina are great!" When Dawn just stared at him, Xander realized he had come upstairs for other reasons than to mention the awesomeness that was baked dough and cinnamon. "Oh, uh, hey, the ladies are going shopping and they wanted to know if you were up to going with them."

"This couldn't have anything to do with wanting all of us out of the house would it?" Dawn knew Xander had been itching to get all of the women out of the house so that he could start laying some groundwork for the expansion project that Giles had commissioned. Giles had come to her immediately after talking it over with Xander. Giles had felt that he may have overstepped his bounds by authorising additions to her familial home. Dawn had pointed out that it was his home now too, which had made him blush and clean his glasses before muttering something British and walking off.

"Hey, I'm not going to deny that this works out well for me, but honestly, do you think that the distraction I would create would involve Anya spending more money?" The look on his face gave credence to Xander's statement. Dawn had to prevent herself from laughing at how pitiful Xander looked, especially with bits of pastry on his chin.

"Yes, I'll go with them Xander. Just let me get my things together." Xander's face brightened at Dawn's words, though he hadn't been too terribly distraught to begin with. _When was Anya_ not_ spending money_, Xander thought to himself. Still, Xander headed downstairs, leaving Dawn to get dressed for the shopping extravaganza that the ladies had in mind. It's a good thing that they were shopping partly on Giles' dime or else they would all be broke thirty minutes after the women hit the malls.

Dawn searched through her clothes, looking for something suitable to wear. It was a good thing that she was about to go shopping because Dawn could definitely use some new wardrobe choices. She spent the next twenty minutes combing through her closet for just what to wear before she made it to the makeup stage, which itself took another ten minutes. As she gathered up her purse and walked out of her room, she had the nagging feeling that she had forgotten to do something. When nothing came to mind, she just shrugged and walked down the stairs to join up with the rest of the gang.

* * *

While Xander was looking over the exterior of the house, he had kept Giles busy by having him look over the blueprints for the planned expansions. Xander had been scaling the house in several areas with his ladder, making certain his measurements were exact. He had just finished his final measurement on that particular side of the house when he felt his ladder start to sway. Xander's heart fluttered in his chest as he looked down and saw that he hadn't set his ladder as well as he should have. His mind worked fast as he factored his options.

Falling to the ground would likely not be fatal, but it sure would hurt like hell. He might could scramble to the roof before the ladder fell, but if he didn't make it, his fall would be farther and thus much more painful. As his eyes darted frantically and his ladder began to shift, Xander caught sight of Dawn's open window. Making up his mind, Xander pulled his ladder to the right so that it would sway that direction. As the ladder began to truly fall, Xander let go of it and grasped tightly to Dawn's windowsill. When the ladder hit the ground, Xander had pulled himself into Dawn's room. Breathless, Xander both cursed and complimented his luck.

"Good lord, Xander! Are you all right?" Giles' voice rose up from outside. Xander poked his head out to see the Brit staring up at him. He must have heard the crash and came rushing out. Xander had to give it to the watcher, he was pretty quick for an old guy.

"Yeah, I'm fine,' Xander called down, his shaky voice belying how rattled he really was. Giles held eye contact for a moment, making certain that Xander wasn't hiding some wound from him before nodding and going back inside the house. Xander decided that it was time to sit down and recoup his wits.

As he sat on Dawn's bed he noticed an open book lying near the top. Xander grabbed it and began to read it. He immediately noticed that it was hand written. Realising that fact, Xander knew that it could only be Dawn's famed diary. He tried to put it down without reading anything else. Still, he couldn't help but notice Dawn had drawn some hearts on the open page. Curious as to who had stolen the littlest Summers' heart, Xander thought that it couldn't hurt if he just read the names written in the hearts. After he had, Xander immediately regretted it.

"Spike and Dawn," Xander muttered quizzically before his anger overtook him. "That son of a bitch!" Xander slammed the diary shut and threw it across the room as he marched downstairs towards Giles. He planned on getting some backup before he staked Spike. When Xander reached the kitchen, he found Giles once again poring over the blueprints he had drawn up. When Giles looked at him, he knew immediately that something was amiss.

"Xander? What's wr—"

"Fang face has been sleeping with Dawn!" Giles didn't need to ask who Xander was referring to. Xander walked straight to the weapons chest kept in the living room, with Giles only a step behind.

* * *

It was well after 3p.m. when Warren finally woke up. He had been up late making sure that Andrew was okay. He let both Andrew and Jonathan stay at his place, more for his protection than theirs, but he had convinced them both that it was the other way around. He had watched a few hours of footage from the Slayer's house before finally dozing off. After wiping the sleep from his eyes, Warren went down to the basement to see what the other two men were up to.

"I got you some breakfast," Andrew cheerily said as soon as Warren came down the stairs. He pointed eagerly to one of the several tables in the room. When he saw the Double Meat Palace sack, Warren's stomach growled in anticipation.

As Warren ate, Andrew filled him in on what had been going on at Buffy's house. Jonathan chimed in every now and again, but he didn't seem very happy. Warren thought that it was because he had knocked not only Jonathan down a peg, but also the people that he idolized as well. Warren was only half listening until a name caught his attention.

"And then Spike got them doughnuts from some lady named Katrina." Andrew's words made Warren's stomach tighten up. Katrina? Could it be his Katrina? Warren had thought that she had left Sunnydale for good, but maybe she had snuck back in without ending up on his radar.

"What did she look like," Warren asked animatedly, interrupting the rest of Andrew's description. "Did she have blond hair? Did she have green eyes? Did she—"

"We didn't see her," Jonathan interrupted.

"Yeah," Andrew agreed, "we only heard her name. The guy, Xander, just said her name and –"

" Show me," Warren said quickly, cutting off the rest of Andrew's sentence. An abashed Andrew rewound the days recording to where Dawn walked to her door to converse with the offscreen Xander. When he was certain that was the right place, Andrew nodded and moved so that Warren could sit directly in front of the monitor.

"_Hey Dawnster. Man, these doughnuts Spike got from Katrina are great_!" Xander's voice sounded tinny coming out of the speakers. Warren rewound the recording, turning the volume up as high as it would go. When he as absolutely certain of what he was hearing, Warren stood up and began pacing.

'How did Spike know about Katrina', Warren thought to himself. The only conclusion he could come to was that Buffy must have told him. Still, what was his angle in going to Katrina? What could Spike hope to gain? Was it all just psychological warfare?

That was his angle, Warren decided. Spike had gone to Katrina to prove that he could. He also must have had his friend Xander mention her inside the recording range of the Trio's microphones to show Warren that he knew that the devices were there. Spike was two steps ahead of him when Warren hadn't even known that the vampire was a playing the game! Warren had to recalculate his strategy and he needed to do it fast.

For their part, Andrew and Jonathan just traded glances as their self-nominated leader paced back and forth. Eventually, Warren sat down in front of the computer that was displaying the live feeds. As he sat there, staring into the screen and trying to formulate a strategy, Xander came crawling into the vision of one of the cameras. Warren enlarged that feed to full screen, cranking these speakers up to full as well. He watched as Xander caught his breath and called down to the older British guy that was living with them. Transfixed, he watched Xander pick up a book off of the bed. It was then that Warren realized exactly which room the feed was coming from.

"_Spike and Dawn? That son of a bitch_!" Xander's words echoed around the basement. So the vampire had the hots for the teenager, Warren thought to himself. He nodded suddenly before turning to the two other members of the Trio.

"I know how we're taking down the vampire." Warren was met with blank stares, but he didn't care. He simply smiled. If Spike wanted to involve significant others, than Warren would do the same. "We need to kidnap Dawn."

* * *

"**Spike**!" Xander's angry voice roused Spike from his sleep.

"Bloody hell," Spike muttered as he moved to get up. When he saw Xander and Giles coming down the stairs, he got the feeling that something was wrong. Since he knew he hadn't done anything lately, he could only guess that something big had happened. He was suddenly very awake and on his feet.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay? Is Dawn—" Spike had scarcely uttered her name before Xander pulled a large wooden cross from behind his back and hit Spike square in the face with it. The force took Spike off of his feet and sent him sprawling back onto his bed. Spike had no time to react to the unexpected attack as Giles quickly had another cross above him, keeping him pinned to the bed.

"What the _bloody hell_ is wrong with you people." Spikes eyes narrowed as regarded the other men intensely. "You'd better have some answers, or-"

"You're the one who had better have some answers, fang boy," Xander stated, cutting off Spike's anger filled rant before it could pick up any steam. "And you're not in any position to be making threats."

"What is going on between you and Dawn?" Giles' simple question caught Spike so off-guard that he momentarily lost a good deal of his anger.

"What? What are you on about?" Seeing that both men were deadly serious, Spike caught on to what they were implying. Spike's anger returned in spades. "Have you both gone sack o' hammers? What, you think me and the nibblet are up to a little after school activity in between the sheets?" Spike's words had served to rev up the anger in the other men. When he saw their reaction to his crass comment, he moved swiftly. He knocked the cross from Giles' hand, sending it flying across the room. Xander tried to move his cross back into a position of dominance but Spike chose to send Xander flying after the cross Giles had been holding. Spike kicked out into Xander's midsection, causing an explosion of pain in his head while sending Xander into the wall opposite him with enough force to rattle his teeth.

Giles pulled a stake out of his belt and plunged it towards Spike's heart but the vampire again swatted the object out of his hand. Spike then grabbed Giles' arm and spun him around, sending him tumbling after Xander. As both men sought to gather their wits, Spike cradled his head in his hands, willing the pain the chip was causing him to lessen. When he saw them getting up, Spike kicked one of the crosses under the cot that he had been sleeping on before he had been so rudely awakened. Then he stood staring down at Xander and Giles, one foot on the other cross, until he was certain that they had gotten the picture, that they were beaten.

"I don't know where you got this crazy idea about me an' Dawn bein' physical, and I don't care."

"Is it true?" Giles spat the question at Spike.

"_Hardly_," Spike replied. The way he said it left little room for doubt. Still, Giles need to press him, to be absolutely certain.

"Are you suggesting that you've never been with a girl Dawn's age," Giles probed.

"Never said anythin' of the sort. Hell, I've been with girls younger than Dawn before. Some of 'em willin', some of 'em not." That seemed to piss Xander off, but as he moved to rise Spike kicked his arm out from underneath him, causing him to fall back to the ground.

"Here's the thing, mates, the key ingredient that you two _muppets_ seem to be missin'. I would _never_ do anythin' to hurt Dawn. Not evah. Hell, I would die tryin' to protect 'er from the sort o' monster I _used_ to be." Spike's voice was filled with righteous fury. Giles resolved to attempt to make it up to him somehow. He also resolved to verify anything coming out of Xander Harris' mouth as regarded their undead ally.

"But the way she looks at you, the way she fawn's over you, "Xander pointed out. "The way she put her chest right by your face the other night, and her drawing your names together in her diary—"

"So you've resorted to reading the diary of a fifteen year old for kicks, 'ave you?" Spike's insult took a bit of the bluster out of Xander.

"No, it was just open, and I fell into her window and there it was so I read it before I knew what I was doing!" Xander didn't realize how that sounded until he saw the raised eyebrow on Spike's face. "Shut up! You're the one on trial here!"

"You're the one on the floor," Spike pointed out.

"Surely you've noticed the way she acts around you Spike," Giles added, regaining a bit of his composure.

"News flash; it's a damned crush! Do I need to spell it out for you? Of course I noticed. It's hard to miss the characteristic Summers blush, the way her heart races when she's around me, the scents she gives off. But what did you want me to do about it?" Spike's question had both men without words. "If I call her out on it, tell her I can't be with her, then what? How would I watch over her if she didn't want me anywhere near her? And you'd be foolin' yourself if you think that it would end any other way. Who would want to spend time around the person who'd just spurned your advances? If I pretend that I don't know, then nothin' changes. Hell, I can even use it to my advantage; keep 'er around so I can keep an eye on her." Xander and Giles sat on the ground, too ashamed of themselves to say anything for a moment. Finally, Giles found his nerve, looking through his glasses as they had miraculously stayed on his face.

"What will you do when she finally confesses her feelings? She is a Summers, as you point out. She won't just give up and move on to someone else. If she's anything like Buffy, she'll chase after you until you give in. What will you do then?" Spike stared down at Giles before taking out a cigarette and lighting it up.

"Then," Spike began as smoke started to fill the basement, "we'll just have to see." Spike took a few more puffs of his Morely before continuing. "I appreciate what you guys were tryin' to do, lookin' after Dawn an' all," Spike said as he began helping both men to their feet. "But if you evah try an' come after me again…" Spike trailed off as he bent down to pick up a cross off of the floor. His skin began to sizzle as he continued to hold it, making his point. As the smoke from his flesh began to mingle with the smoke from his cigarette, Spike decided to finish his statement. "… a little bit o' pain won't stop me from endin' you." Spike's eyes were demonic yellow as he stared down both of his attackers but he kept his face human. Eventually, Giles and Xander both nodded before walking back upstairs.

As soon as they closed the basement door, Spike dropped the cross to the floor, cursing loudly and attempting to shake the pain in his hands away. He began searching for the booze he had in his minifridge. As Spike fumbled to open his beer with badly damaged hands, Spike knew that he would need stronger spirits than what he had. That, and his hands hurt so badly that he couldn't even open the tab on his beer. He decided that what he needed was a trip to Willy's Bar. If he was really lucky, he'd be able to blow off some steam as well as get drunk on the cheap. Spike put his duster on without the use of his hands before walking up the stairs.

As he exited the basement, he ignored the looks of Giles and Xander as he gingerly grabbed his heavy blanket from off of the coat rack and wrapped it around himself. He fought back a yelp of pain as he gripped the door knob and opened the back door. He closed the door by pulling it with his foot before he streaked to the nearest manhole. He cursed loudly as he fought to pull it up, finally doing so and jumping down into the sewer. All the while, Giles and Xander watched him from the Kitchen window. Neither of them noticed how little smoke Spike was giving off in the sunlight.


	6. Trio: Act V

**A/N**: First and foremost, a thousand thanks to my beta reader, Orin Forever Crimson. I appologise for the delay on this one. Hopefully the next installment will be out MUCH quicker! So, please R&R, but most importantly, enjoy!

* * *

"Explain to me again how kidnapping a fifteen year old girl is going to bring down supervamp." In the hours since Warren had told Jonathan and Andrew of his plan, he had instructed them to research Spike. When Jonathan had discovered that Spike had killed not just one, but two Slayers, all hell broke loose.

"Like I said, he's into her. " Warren was tired of defending his choice to both of the other Trio members, as Andrew had also been against the idea. "We kidnap her, tell him we'll kill her if he doesn't do what we say, and presto, the vamp works for us."

"I thought that the vampire helping out the Slayer was a strike against her." Jonathan kept his voice quiet, so that nobody else could hear him. He liked this plan less and less as time went on, and he hadn't been on board from the start.

"How do we know we can trust him? Aren't vampires typically known for their great ability to lie?" Andrew was also against the plan, but he had different reasons than Jonathan. Andrew didn't like the idea of involving people, real people, in the agenda. He held no love for the Slayer's group. In fact, he held a particular grudge against them, given what his brother Tucker had told him about them, how they had ruined his life. Still, Andrew wasn't a violent person, and he failed to see how hurting a young girl furthered their dreams of Sunnydale's domination.

"Enough!" Warren bellowed the word, hoping to silence all dissent. "I'm the leader and this is the plan. If you don't like it, there's the door." Warren indicated the stairwell with his right hand.

"Technically, that's the basement st—" A withering glare from Warren informed Andrew that his technicalities were currently unwelcome. After looking from Jonathan to Andrew, Warren decided that both would follow him in this endeavour. Sadly, it looked like he might have to replace both of them shortly thereafter, but that was a problem for future Warren.

"We on the same page?" When both other men nodded their heads, Warren continued. "Good. This is how it's going down."

* * *

"Hit me again, Willy." Spike had been drinking for hours now and he didn't have much more than a buzz. If it had been just beer, Spike wouldn't have been surprised, but since he had been drinking straight whisky, shot after shot, for the past three hours, he was getting a bit irritated. Willy wasn't complaining though, as Spike had paid enough up front to keep him drinking well into the night.

The place hadn't changed much since Spike had last been inside. It was still 'Willy's Place' as opposed to 'Willy's Bar', to classy up the place, as Willy had explained to Spike. The interior was more or less the same but the clientele was a little different, but Spike would've been lying had he called it classier. Spike surmised that most of the old guard had been killed off over time. Still, the place was jam-packed. Maybe the change really did bring about more business.

Willy had just placed another drink in front of Spike when a spotted red hand landed on Spike's shoulder and spun the vampire away from the bar. As the owner's other hand raced towards Spike's face, he caught it with his left.

"Not this time, mate," Spike uttered, smirk wide on his face. He continued to hold his attacker's fist while he appraised the demon. He had encountered the large demon before. This Utukku demon had attacked him in this very bar a little over a year ago. At the time, Spike had been caught off-guard . Now, however, instead of being sullen and unprepared, Spike was ramped up for a little action, and he was never caught unawares thanks to the Godsblood he had a week ago. The demon had mottled red scales and drawn back, pointy ears. He stood well over six foot tall, making him look very similar to an overgrown red goblin. The plaid, cut-off shirt was different than it had been the last time Spike had encountered the brute before him, but it told him that the demon hadn't changed much over the last year. Spike hoped that fact was indicative of his more than his fashion style.

After Spike had finished his assessment, he allowed the demon to shake his hand loose. The demon looked down at his hand and let his lip curl in anger.

"What did I tell you last time, vampire? I said that if I saw you in—"

"Yeah, yeah," Spike interrupted nonchalantly. "You said you would 'break the demon code' an' make war on me or some such nonsense that amounted to a fancy way o' sayin' you'd kill me. Well guess what, mate?" Spike's voice went from carefree to harsh instantly. "I don't think you've got what it takes." The demon was taken aback for a moment before he could respond.

"You've grown a set on ya' since last time, I'll admit." The demon paused, trying to determine what had changed about Spike since he had last seen him. Detecting nothing, the Utukku demon shrugged his shoulders and resumed speaking. "But it'll be a cold day in hell before I let a lowly bloodsucker get the best of me."

"Watch it mate; _this_ bloodsucker isn't so lowly." Spike sat down, turning his back on the demon and speaking back over his shoulder. "I've been the death o' three slayers. What've you done?" While Spike's boast was tall, his voice was soft, forlorn. He couldn't help but think about that third Slayer. That death he wished he could change. If he'd been faster, not underestimated the Doctor, he might of won. Spike suddenly found himself wishing he had tangled with Inanna and her pet before the ordeal with Glory. Then, he wouldn't have lost to... whatever the creature known as the doctor had been.

When the Utukku behind Spike had finished digesting the leather-clad defender of the night's words, he stared at his back, determining whether or not what he said was true. The demon knew that Spike was powerful for a vampire, but he didn't know if any creature could be good enough to notch three Slayers into their belt. Deciding he just didn't care, especially given the outcome of their last fight, the demon threw a punch at the back of Spike's head, and his eyes widened in shock when his fist whistled through empty air.

Spike had senses the attack coming, noting the quick one-two footfalls of someone moving to quickly strike, and had dived to his left. As the Utukku stood dumbfounded, Spike launched himself up and into an uppercut that literally sent his antagonist sailing into the opposite wall. The demon , whose name was Sitsuthros, as the whispered murmurs that went up around the bar informed Spike, was quick to get up despite the strength of the blow and his surprise.

"Lucky shot," Sitsuthros said through what Spike would have sworn was a broken jaw. "Let's see how you do when you're fighting something other than your own kind, bottom feeder." Utukku demons were notoriously strong. Spike had fared poorly in their last encounter, but he had learned how the demon fought. Given his recent upgrade, Spike didn't think the fight would last long.

Spike knew that he needed to re-forge his image in Sunnydale if he was going to be the Hellmouth's chief protector. Defeating an Utukku would help, but humiliating one in front of a jam-packed crowd at Willy's would cement his name as top dog, at least until a new challenger arose. Still, if he became the demon to beat, it meant that the smarter, weaker demons wouldn't mess around with him. He'd have a target on his back, but he'd deal with that as it came. Spike smiled wide as Sitsuthros walked his way; the pain in his hands had vanished and it was going to be one hell of a night.

* * *

After a long day of shopping, the ladies of the Scooby gang returned to the Summers house. Dawn and Anya were the first two through the door, Willow and Tara following hand in hand. As the women entered the living room, they noticed Giles and Xander sitting on the couch, ice packs held to various places on their bodies. Before any of the ladies could say anything, Xander hopped up smiling when he noticed that their hands were empty.

"Ladies, I notice you had a productive day of shopping." Xander's sarcastic voice was full of love.

"Actually, we did. We need you to help get everything out of the car." Dawn's words caused Xander's face to fall, which made all the women laugh.

"Seriously?" It was hard to miss the sound of dejectedness that permeated through Xander's words.

"Who lies about shopping," Anya said, grabbing Xander by the arm and practically dragging him out to the car where several bags were waiting to be toted in.

"What happened to you guys," Willow asked Giles. Not wanting to draw things out, Giles decided to get right to the point.

"Xander and I had a... misunderstanding with Spike. It seems we went to him with accusations based upon faulty information," it was hard to miss the pointed look Giles threw at Xander as he entered the living room with several bags from various stores upon each arm. "Spike roughly, and rightly so, set us straight. I only hope that this hasn't broken what little good will we have built up with him." Giles knew that he was probably the least liked person in the room after that statement, if only because Xander had already left to grab more items out of the car.

"What did you do?" Dawn's anger was unmistakable. Giles wasn't sure exactly how much to tell the group. He was afraid that if he told the truth that he would break the bonds he had made recently with Dawn, however he knew that if he didn't tell the truth that he wouldn't deserve them. That, and he couldn't count on Xander to not let the truth out at the most inopportune time at some point in the future. Giles sighed and took off his glasses to clean them before putting them back on and locking his eyes with Dawn.

"We attacked him." Giles winced at the collective gasp that went up from Tara, Willow, and Dawn. "Xander came to me with some disturbing news. The manner in which he presented his case caused me to forget that Spike is not the monster he once was. Xander and I assaulted him while he slept, hoping that we could best him if surprise was on our side. As you can see," Giles said as he removed the ice pack on his cheek, revealing a large bruise, "we miscalculated. After he had bested us, he proved to me just how much he has changed. Then he grabbed his blanket and left." Silence prevailed in the room until Xander and Anya walked back in with more 'goodies' from the Sunnydale mall. When Xander noticed the mood in the room and the hurt and angry stares he was receiving, he knew that Giles had spilled the beans.

"You told them," Xander said, disbelief and anger in his features.

"Would you rather I add 'lying' to the list of our sins today?" Giles' quick rebuff shut Xander up.

"How c-could you?" Everyone was shocked that it was Tara, and not Dawn, who spoke out first. Her stutter had returned, telling everyone just how upset she really was. As the tears began to well in her eyes and fall down her face, Willow moved to comfort her. "He's done e-everything f-for us! H-how could you d-do that to h-him?" She stood vigilant despite the tears, looking from Giles to Xander, waiting for a response. Just as Giles was about to speak up, Xander moved forward and spoke.

"It was my fault. I was up on the ladder near Dawn's room and I fell." Anya's grip tightened around his arm, but there was otherwise no change of demeanour by anyone else in the room. "I got lucky, grabbed on to Dawn's windowsill and climbed into her room." As soon as he said those words, Dawn pieced together exactly what had happened. She remembered what it was she knew she was forgetting to do when she had left to go shopping.

"My diary." Her voice was so quiet, she didn't think anyone would hear her. When she looked up, however, she realised all eyes were on her. "You read my diary. How could you?" Dawn's words mimicked those spoken by Tara moments ago.

"Dawnster, it wasn't on purpose. I just looked on your bed and there it was, your name and his in a heart. What was I supposed to think?"

"I can't believe you." There was a fury in her quiet voice. She began to walk towards the stairs when Willow called out after her.

"Dawnie... you and... Spike?" Willow couldn't keep her nose from crinkling in disgust at the very idea. Apparently, she couldn't keep it out of her voice either.

"No, there is no 'me and Spike' anything. But I do have feelings for him. Is that so wrong?" She had a hopeful yet questioning look on her face. She was looking for approval, for reinforcement.

"Yes!" Willow said.

"No!" Tara said at exactly the same time, causing them to look at each other in shock and disengage from what had been a loving embrace. Seeing the disgusted look on Xander's face and the mixed look on Giles', Dawn turned and practically ran up to her room. She slammed the door behind her, blocking out the arguing that had begun downstairs between Willow and Tara. Dawn moved to the foot of her bed, staring at her diary. She couldn't help but feel betrayed by not only her friends, but by the diary itself. It was like her best friend, her most trusted confidant was telling everyone her secrets behind her back.

As she let the hurt feelings flow through her, she came to the sudden realisation that Spike might not be back. She also realised that Spike knew about her feelings towards him. With all the emotions washing over her, Dawn began to cry silently, her sobs wracking her entire frame. As she turned to sit on the edge of her bed, she noticed that her closet was open. Fearing that Xander may have gone digging through her closet and might have found some of her 'lady items', she moved to investigate.

As she got close, two mean leapt out of her closet and tackled her to her bed. Fearing the worst, Dawn fought for her life, trying to scream through the hand that the taller of the two men had placed over her mouth. The other man, who looked vaguely familiar, began uttering words Dawn didn't understand. She quickly came to understand that he was casting a spell, making Dawn fight all the harder. In her squirming, she tilted her head just enough to cause the larger man's finger to slip into her mouth. Dawn bit down with all of her strength.

"Yaarghgh!" Warren's shout echoed around the room and drifted down to the adults arguing downstairs. When Warren withdrew his hand in pain, Dawn screamed as loudly as she could.

* * *

"Don't tell me you'd be okay with Dawn dating a vampire." The lines had been drawn in the living room, with Xander and Willow on one side with Tara on the other. Both Giles and Anya had yet to speak up, both trying to stay out of the crosshairs.

"I would think that _our_ situation would make you more open to alternative lifestyles." Gone again was Tara's stutter, replaced only by anger and disappointment.

"Spike doesn't _have _a lifestyle. He's a dead, soulless demon!" Xander's words unintentionally drew Anya into the debate, and not on his side.

"Hey! What's so wrong with demons?" Xander winced, knowing that this was going to be ugly, no matter what he said. Before he could put his foot in his mouth any more, a man's yell came from upstairs. Everyone immediately got quite and began to move towards the stairs. When Dawn's scream for help came, Giles lead the pack to Dawn's room. As the Scoobies burst in the door, they saw Warren atop Dawn with Jonathan keeping one hand on both of them while he was chanting.

As Giles rushed into the room and Tara and Willow both began to chant their own counterspell, linking hands despite their differences mere moments ago, Jonathan finished his spell. As Jonathan, Dawn, and Warren began to fade, Warren smirked at the Scoobies who could only look on in horror.

* * *

Spike stood staring at his handiwork. Not only the Utukku laying dead at his feet, but so was about 15 other demons. Spike moved to sit down but then he recalled seeing Willy leave about ten seconds into the fight. Smirking, Spike gingerly walked around the bar and poured himself a drink. His right eye was swollen and it felt like a few ribs were broken, but Spike was the only one still standing of those who had elected not to run. Spike smirked as he put the bottle of whiskey down.

"Least m' hands aren't hurtin'," Spike said to no one in particular. He poured himself several shots before deciding to take the bottle with him to the other side of the bar. He had just situated himself when the payphone began to ring. Spike let it ring itself out for several minutes before he got tired of listening to it and got up to answer it.

"What the bloody 'ell do you want?"

"Spike, thank the goddess." While Spike hadn't been expecting anyone he knew to be on the other end of the line, he definitely wasn't expecting it to be Tara. Given how shaky she sounded, and how relieved she had been to hear his voice, Spike knew that something bad had happened.

"What's wrong, luv?"

"Spike, they... they took Dawn." Spike's first thoughts went immediately to child services, but since Rupert had taken care of that, he knew that couldn't be what she was talking about. And then, he knew.

"Warren. How did he do it? And how did you know where I was?"

"He used a teleportation spell." This time it was Willow's voice. "We used a locater spell to try to find them, but they were prepared. Then we located you."

"I know where they are. Meet me at this address." Spike proceeded to give out Warren's address, surprising himself that he actually remembered the numbers as opposed to just how to find it. Then, with murder in his eyes, Spike limped out of Willy's as fast as he could.

* * *

Dawn looked around the room. There were whiteboards everywhere, all full of multicoloured notes written on them. She was looking for a way out, or at least something to free herself with. Her hands and feet had been tied up shortly after she had materialised at wherever it was they were located. She had begged and pleaded at first, having a visible effect on the shorter of her two kidnappers as well as another man, a lanky guy with blond hair. When it became clear that they weren't going to do to her what she had feared, she began to wonder exactly what it was they _did_ plan to do with her.

She listened quietly, learning each of their names and hoping that she could use that against them later. They had argued a lot since they captured her. It reminded Dawn a little of what she had been taken from; adults arguing about her. Here, though, she didn't think that there was a Tara to take her side of things.

"So what now," Jonathan asked Warren. "We just sit around until someone comes looking for her?"

"We get the word out to the vampire, let him know that we've got his girlfriend and that he'd better do exactly what we tell him if he wants to see her again." Warren's plan sounded juvenile, even to Dawn. What really confused Dawn though was the mentioning of Spike's girlfriend. She was crushed to find out that he had a girlfriend.

"What about her other friends, the ones who say us take her? Did you hear the two women casting? They're the real deal. I don't know how long I can fend them off." With Jonathan's words, Dawn realised that they were referring to _her_ as Spike's girlfriend. While it did perk her up a bit, it did nothing to lessen the seriousness of her situation.

"We'll deal with them too!" Warren was becoming more and more angry. In truth, he hadn't bargained on the rest of the Slayer's gang discovering their ploy. Not only that, but he hadn't factored them in at all. He was making more and more mistakes and he knew it, making him all the more angry. A loud noise from upstairs cut off whatever else he might have been going to say.

"Looks like it doesn't matter anymore," Jonathan muttered under his breath.

"Showtime," Warren uttered with as much confidence as he could muster. He only hopped that the demon that Andrew had summoned would be enough to stop the vampire. When Spike limped down the stairs, Warren's spirit's soared. Maybe this would go right after all.

As the Rekktor jumped out of the shadows at the foot of the stairs, Dawn called out a warning.

"Spike, behind you!" Despite his injuries Spike ducked and moved to the left, causing the demon's crab-like hand to miss. Knowing he needed to end this fight quick, Spike moved inside the creature's range and delivered a devastating right cross to its abdomen. The demon wasn't dead, but it would be unconscious for a few hours.

"What did I tell you," Spike said as he gingerly moved past the fallen Rekktor at his feet. He locked his gaze on Warren before continuing. "I told you to stay away from the Summers' house, that the people under that roof were under my protection. I said that if you came at us again that there would be nowhere for you to go. And yet, here I am. I take it my last demonstration wasn't enough for you lot."

"Not one step closer or the girl dies." Warren's words stopped Spike cold in his tracks. His gaze went immediately to Dawn, trying to access what hidden danger might lay in wait for her. "I've got the area she's sitting under rigged to blow."

"He's bluffing," Jonathan said suddenly.

"Am I?" Warren pulled out a device from his pocket and pressed the button once, causing lights and numbers to come to life in dark devices above Dawn. Even with Spike's impaired vision, he knew what they were. So did Jonathan.

"You son of a bitch! You said that no one was going to get hurt!"

"I lied." With a shrug of his shoulders, Warren proved all of Jonathan's worst fears were right. "So, vampire, you're going to work for me now. The first thing you're going to do is kill the backstabbing midget to your left." Jonathan's look of disbelief turned into one of terror as he looked at Spike. Spike simply shook his head.

"Unless you've got conical shaped blasts in every one of those charges," Giles' voice came from the stairs as he led the Scoobies down the stairs, "you'd never be daft enough to press the button."

"Watch me." With that, Warren pressed the button, and the basement erupted in flames.


	7. Trio: Epilogue

**A/N**: _A thousand thanks to my beta,_ Orin Forever Crimson. _Thanks again to those of you kind enough to let me know what you think about my work. So, please R&R, but most importantly, enjoy!_

* * *

"Are we sure this is the right place?" Giles checked the address Spike had given him again, nodding in confirmation in response to Willow's question. Almost as if he heard them, from out of nowhere Spike knocked on the passenger side window, startling everyone inside.

"Give me a minute. I don't come out with Dawn in my arms, you come down an' save the day. I'd bet three kittens that it'll all go down in the basement. First door on your left." Spike didn't leave any room for objection as he was gone just as quick as he had arrived. The Scoobies watched him punch the doorknob off and enter the house. After a minute of silent waiting, Xander opened his car door and stepped out.

"To hell with this; I'm going in." He wasn't really surprised when the other three car doors opened and everyone else got out with him. Giles lead the way towards the house before turning to Willow and Tara.

"It wouldn't hurt to have a contingency spell prepared, just in case something goes wrong."

"I... I'm not really comfortable using magic lately," Willow demurred softly. Tara squeezed the hand she was holding.

"I'm not trying to push you Willow, however I noticed you didn't hesitate when Dawn was being kidnapped earlier." Willow looked down at her feet but she nodded.

"Don't worry baby; we'll do one together. Let me do the most work and I'll draw on your strength." Tara spoke softly into Willow's ear, who turned and quickly kissed her before they prepared their spell as quietly as they could. When they nodded, Giles pushed open the knobless door and began to descend the stairs as Spike had informed them to.

As they neared the bottom, they heard Warren describing his failsafe and his plans for Spike. Giles poked his head down and assessed the room situation. His eyes weren't what they used to be, but he knew that unless the robotician had designed his bombs just right, the blast would take anyone out in a twenty foot radius at the very least. He stepped back up with the rest of the group and informed them of the situation.

"There are blast charges set up around Dawn. I don't think that he's going to endanger himself but he may have some defence mechanism in place." He turned to look at the resident witches of the group. "Are you ready?" When they nodded, Giles proceeded down the stairs with everyone else following him.

"Unless you've got conical shaped blasts in every one of those charges," Giles said loudly, hoping to draw any attention away from Willow and Tara as they kept their spell ready, "you'll never be daft enough to press the button."

"Watch me," Warren responded, a maniacal look on his face. Tara and Willow recognised that look as the only warning they would get. They immediately finished their spell and clasped their hands back together. When Warren pushed the button, Dawn was wrapped in a protective cocoon of green and violet colours. Spike tried to rush to her side as quickly as he could, but he knew he'd never make it in time.

The explosion had indeed been conical in nature, much to Giles' surprise, but because of the magic shield the Wiccans had prepared, the explosion was directed outwards, filling the basement with the blast and engulfing Spike in flames.

The Scoobies were all knocked off their feet onto the stairs from the concussive force of the blast. As everyone on the stairs had been staring at Dawn, they were all temporarily blinded. They lay there, stunned, for several minutes until Dawn's voice finally cut through the ringing in their ears.

"Is everyone okay? Anybody?" The fact that she was panicking was obvious in her voice. Xander was the first to move and wave at her general area, giving her a shaky thumbs up. As the Scoobies regained their wits, they began to survey the wreckage. Dawn was unharmed, sitting in a small area that was perfectly clear of debris and soot. All around her tiny fires guttered, dying out quickly. Giles observed that they were very lucky that the smoke had filtered out the now-broken basement windows and hadn't come their way.

They moved gingerly down to free Dawn, carefully avoiding pieces of timber and twisted metal shards. When they got to her they began to untie her, however before they could get very far a rustling behind them drew their attention towards another corner of the building. A blond man lay there, a large shaft of wood through his torso.

"Never... never wanted to hurt... anybody," he said weakly. Any notions of aiding the young man were ended quickly when his head lolled to the side, lifeless. This served as a reminder that there had been other people in the basement aside from Dawn.

"We need to look for the others, for Spike," Giles said, taking charge of the situation. Everyone nodded and split up, with Tara staying to untie Dawn. As they searched, Xander walked over to Giles.

"G-man, that was a fireball we dealt with. Even if we find Spike, we won't be able to do more than sweep him into a dustpan." Xander kept his voice low so that nobody overheard him. Giles looked back at Dawn before responding.

"For her sake," Giles said quietly, "and perhaps for the sake of Sunnydale, I hope you're wrong." Xander nodded and began his search in earnest. After a minute, the search was suddenly interrupted by the recoil of a gun. All eyes turned to the center of the room to focus upon Warren holding a gun, smoke still rising from the barrel.

"You think you can play me for a fool? You think that I'd just let you get away with that?" No one in the room actually understood what he was talking about. It all sounded like the ranting of a madman.

"What're you babblin' on about?" The sound of Spike's voice was muffled due to all the debris that was on top of him. He put in a mighty effort and heaved it all off of himself. He then stood wearily, fighting to stay upright.

"You started this," Warren pointed the gun at Spike, continuing on in an ever increasingly frantic tone, "you went after my girlfriend first! You should've never gotten Katrina involved. Now I've got to go after her too!" At first everyone was confused by the rantings, until Spike put the pieces together.

"You're dating Donut-girl?" Spike laughed briefly before he began sputtering and coughing. "What'd she ever see in you?"

"No way," Xander stated emphatically. "Katrina Ballantine wouldn't have anything to do with you." His words had an obvious effect on Warren, as his eyes went even wilder.

"Ballantine? No, Katrina Lit—how did you... no. NO! This is all some twisted mind game!" Warren's mental wheels began turning, trying to determine where he had let this all go so horribly awry. He had overestimated the vampire then, and it made him revile Spike even more. He began to wave the gun around at random, pointing it at one person briefly before moving on to the next.

Suddenly, the room was filled with the sound of chanting as the forgotten Jonathan did his best to make amends for his part in this tragedy. He was just about to finish his spell when Warren turned towards him and pulled the trigger, proving that he had surprising aim despite his wavering hand. Jonathan fell back to the floor, never to move again.

"You've got a problem with me, you ponce? What're you gonna' do about it?" Spike was trying a different route, standing up as tall as he could and presenting his chest as a target. Warren immediately turned the gun on him but hesitated about pulling the trigger.

"I'm not stupid. I know that bullets can't kill what's already dead. You've got to put a steak through the heart, and I know just how to do it." Warren moved quickly and grabbed Dawn, putting the gun to her head. "I think thi-".

Warren's voice was cut off by a sickening snap, followed by a bloodcurdling scream from Spike, and both bodies hit the floor side by side, Spike's hands still on Warren's head.

* * *

Spike knew that he had to do something to resolve the situation. He had hoped that Warren would vent his rage by emptying the gun's clip into his chest if he taunted the nerd enough. Spike knew that he was pretty banged up. He had tried to move to rescue Dawn before the explosion and had taken a full-bodied blast head on. He still wasn't sure how he had survived, but he did recall a pale blue light flash before his eyes just as the explosion enveloped him. The Godsblood must have done something to protect him from the flames, but it hadn't done much to protect him from the impact of slamming into a wall and having parts of the ceiling collapse atop him. He hadn't been in good shape before the explosion; now it was a struggle to stand.

When Warren moved to Dawn and put a gun to her head, Spike had seen enough. He refused to fail in protecting the girl again, letting Buffy down a second time. So, Spike ignored his pain and put on a burst of speed, the kind that a vampire could only use once or twice in a century. He was behind Warren before anyone had noticed that he had moved. Then, he put his hands on either side of Warren's head, and he twisted with every ounce of strength he had left.

As soon as he did, Spike's brain exploded in pain. Spike screamed and fell to the floor, his fingers embedded in Warren's face.

* * *

It took everyone several seconds to understand what had happened. One moment, Spike had been on the other side of the room and Warren had turned a gun on Dawn. The next, both men lay on the floor, one obviously dead, the other's status unknown.

"Nonononononono," Dawn muttered in denial as she knelt by Spike's still form. She took his head in her arms and noticed that her hands had become wet. She looked down and saw that blood was leaking out of Spike's nose and ears. She cradled his head even closer before looking over to the Giles and shouting, "Do something!" Then Dawn broke down in tears as her protector lay motionless in her arms.

Dawn's words served to galvanise the rest of the group. Everything moved in slow motion for Dawn as everyone else rushed towards her and Spike, trying to see find out anything they could. Tara tried to gingerly remove Dawn's hands but she eventually had to pry them away from Spike so that they could get a good look at him. Tara held her close as the tears poured down both of their faces.

Xander looked at Giles, at a loss for how to move forward. Vampires don't breathe nor do they have pulses, which made checking for any 'signs of life' an exercise in futility. Giles looked to Willow, hoping that she would know a spell that might answer the question of whether or not Spike was alive but she simply shook her head sadly. Giles dropped his head in defeat, turning towards Dawn to deliver the bad news.

"He's still alive." Anya's words stopped everyone's actions as they turned to her for an explanation. "He's a vampire. When he's dead he'll turn to dust, just like every other vampire _ever_. If he's not dust..."

"Then he's still alive," Dawn said, hope evident in her voice. "B-but, if he's not dead, then we can help him, right?" She scanned everyone's faces, hoping to see an answer somewhere, but to her dismay, there would be no answers for her that day.


End file.
